ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʙɪʀᴅs
by The Mystical Palm Tree
Summary: In the aftermath of a terrible war, DuskClan has been occupied by "ambassadors" from the other Clans. They're supposedly meant to keep the peace, but as abuses spiral out of control, another war feels imminent. Now, hoping to set things right, Rookpaw travels abroad with his deputy mentor while his sister Beetlepaw tries to discover what really happened all those moons ago.
1. 000 Prologue

Story By: _The Mystical Palm Tree_

Rated: T

Warnings: mention of rape and explicit descriptions of violence and death

Special Thanks to: _A Quiet Night_, _Lady Chocobo_, and _Snowspider of ColdClan_ for helping with character names

Disclaimer: warriors is the intellectual property of _Erin Hunter_ and _HarperCollins_. this work is nonprofit and for fan enjoyment alone.

Notes: this story uses the term "molly" to refer to she-cats without kits, updates (as of 10.20) between saturday morning and monday morning, and is wide open to constructive criticism.

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><p><strong>ʙʟᴀᴄᴋʙɪʀᴅs<br>**

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><p><em>Blackbird singing in the dead of night<em>

_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_

_All your life _

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise._

_-__- The Beatles_

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><p><strong>ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ: ᴀᴛᴏɴᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ <strong>

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><p>a·tone·ment, <em>noun<em>

1. satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends

2. _Archaic_. reconciliation; agreement

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><p><strong>ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ<strong>_**  
><strong>_

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><p>Blood dripped. It dripped from the brown tabby's ears, neck, and belly as his legs folded beneath him. His breath came shallow, and his vision blurred, turning the surrounding poppies into a smear of deep vermilion. The perfect color, he thought bitterly, to summarize his reign.<p>

The yowls of warring cats faded, and for one happy moment, Pinestar thought StarClan had spared him the shame of facing his conquerors. A gust of wind brushed his bloodied fur, and the tabby himself lay immobile as the poppy field around him writhed under the sunset's red glare.

"You fox-hearted murderer!"

A hard paw stomped on the back of his head. He tasted earth.

"Swanstar, hold your claws."

Pinestar lifted his unsteady eyes, and grass-green met sky-blue as Froststar scowled down at him. The brilliant white tom looked almost orange in the light of the setting sun, and the distant memory of meeting him as an anxious apprentice teased Pinestar's thoughts. Unlike the young cat that had needed protection, Froststar now stood with his chest out and his tail straight up. Instead of trembling at an older cat's heels, he now supported a brown tabby in his shadow, and Pinestar recognized the young companion.

He was the one that had raked claws across his face, the cat that had replaced DawnClan's defeated leader. He called himself Snake.

Pinestar let out a low growl only to feel Swanstar's claws sink into his skull. Another memory flashed in his mind, one of the pale molly as a gentle warrior, a cat he'd quip with during Gatherings, and his fur grew hot.

"Silence! I will have my revenge against this... this—" She rattled his head. "—this monstrous war criminal. His life is mine to take."

Froststar hesitated, and Pinestar realized that his old friend was scanning the onlooking warriors. There were cats from each of the four Clans, and each was waiting to witness his execution. There was nothing any cat could do. Froststar's comforting blue eyes vanished as he meowed coldly, "Then the final blow and this audience are yours."

Snake nodded in deference.

"Very well, then." Swanstar tightened her grip, and her claws sliced through skin.

Pinestar yowled, though his cry was soon smothered by silence.

After a deep breath, the cream tabby addressed her captive's warriors, "Hear me, cats of DuskClan! Your tyrannical leader is defeated, and your selfish war over. I will not stand to see such slaughter happen again. Steps will be taken to guarantee this new era of peace, and I will see to it that you rue this war and loathe this Pinestar as much as the rest of us."

Yowls of agreement filled the air, and Pinestar felt his heart clench. His eyes darted from Froststar's hardened features to Snake's twitchy frown to a silhouette mewing something over and over. As Swanstar continued to rally his enemies, Pinestar squinted against the sun at the shadowy form. He caught a glimpse of scuffling paws and quivering lips. What were they saying?

Swanstar ripped her claws from his head. "My friends, as StarClan promised us, the Great Pine shall fall into darkness!" Before Pinestar could realize what was happening, those same red-tipped claws sank into his eyes.

It felt as though his very brain had been stung, but in that moment Pinestar understood the dark cat's chant. The epiphany swallowed him like a slimy black wave.

_I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..._

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><p><strong>Short, but hopefully enough to capture your interest. 8] Right now, I'm wondering two things that will determine in part how I handle this story. If you'd like to help me out, please review with your answers, but more importantly, thank you for reading!<strong>

**_Question One_: Do you find allegiances helpful and fun or do you find them unnecessary and tedious? Alternatively, would you like to see allegiances for this story?**

**_Question Two_: Do you prefer to see review replies at the beginning of each chapter or through private PM?**

**As a final note, thanks to _Flight of Dragons_ for offering her awesome advice!**

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><p><strong>ᴀʟʟᴇɢɪᴀɴᴄᴇs<strong>

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><p><span>DUSKCLAN<span>

**Leader: **Rowanstar, ginger and white tabby molly, ex-medicine cat

**Deputy:** Ivyheart, gray tabby molly with thin black stripes [ _apprentice: Rookpaw _]

**Medicine Cat:** Firefern, fluffy red and white ticked tabby tom

**Ambassadors**:

_DawnClan_: Hazelfang, yellow and white tabby molly

_MarshClan_: Turtletail, short classic brown tabby tom with black markings

_SlopeClan_: Wolfwhisker, long-nosed gray ticked tabby tom [ _apprentice: Bearpaw_ ]

_SlopeClan_: Bearpaw, long-haired classic brown tabby tom

**Warriors:**

Whitelion, long-haired white tom with a prominent neck ruff [ _apprentice: Pikepaw_ ]

Ravenflight, black tom with a white speckle on his chest [ _apprentice: Beetlepaw _]

Coonmask, gray and white tabby tom with a distinct white mask

Spiderfang, tall black molly with half of an ear missing

Ratwhisker, solid brown tom with bright yellow eyes

Owlstripe, very light brown classic tabby tom with dark brown markings [ _apprentice: __Cedar__paw_ ]

Larkfeather, brown and white tabby molly with green eyes

Thornwillow, pretty light brown and white tabby molly [ _apprentice: __Rain__paw_ ]

Sorrelspot, ginger and white tabby molly with brown tabby patches

Blueshadow, slender blue-gray tom with pale green eyes [ _apprentice: __Fawn__paw_ ]

Lindenfur, light gray tabby molly with dark yellow eyes

Snowfoot, solid white tom with dark yellow eyes

**Apprentices:**

Pikepaw, gray and white spotted tabby tom

Cedarpaw, red-brown and white tabby tom with bright green eyes

Fawnpaw, light brown and white tabby molly with bright blue eyes

Rainpaw, dark gray and white classic tabby molly

Rookpaw, solid black tom with pale green eyes

Beetlepaw, fluffy black and white molly

**Queens:**

Shadowstreak, tall black and white queen with pale yellow eyes

Smokecloud, long-haired gray tabby queen with bright yellow eyes

**Kits:**

Nettlekit, fluffy gray and white molly

Deerkit, brown ticked tabby tom with a stubby tail

Silentkit, brown classic tabby tom with black stripes, born mute

**Elders:**

Wormtail, heavily scarred gray spotted tabby tom

Stoatbelly, dark brown tabby tom with a distinct white chest and belly

Badgerclaw, scarred black and white molly with a distinct white stripe running up her nose

Tawnymouse, small golden brown tabby molly with heavily battered ears, deaf due to injuries

Barkface, heavily scarred brown tabby tom, blind due to injuries

...

DAWNCLAN (incomplete)

**Leader:** Snakestar, slender brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

**Deputy****:** Pantherstep, large black tom with a chipped ear

**Medicine Cat****:** Blackbee, small long-haired black molly with bright yellow eyes

**Medicine Cat Apprentice: **Mintpaw, fluffy blue-gray tom with blue-green eyes

**Warriors:**

Leopardface, unusual golden tom with leopard-like spots

Flintstrike, gray and white tabby tom with black stripes [ _apprentice: Acornpaw _]

Gingerpelt, long-haired red and white classic tabby molly

Smallfire, tiny ginger and white tabby tom

Birchstripe, very light gray tom with dark gray tabby stripes

Dovecloud, unusual blue-point molly with white paws [ _apprentice: Pepperpaw _]

**Apprentices:**

Acornpaw, skinny red and white ticked tabby tom

Pepperpaw, white molly with black and ginger tabby patches

...

MARSHCLAN (incomplete)

**Leader: **Swanstar, white molly with cream tabby markings

**Deputy: **Stormfish, large blue-gray tom with unusually small ears

**Medicine Cats: **

Mossflower, white molly with blue-gray patches and green eyes

Storkcloud, white tom with black patches and tail

**Medicine Cat Apprentice: **Algaepaw, dark tortoiseshell molly with white toes

**Warriors: **

Heronstep, light gray tabby tom with very faded stripes

Eelwhisker, dark gray and white molly with pale yellow eyes [ _apprentice: Nightpaw _]

Redriver, large red and white tabby tom

Ospreyclaw, white tom with large black patches [ _apprentice: Mudpaw_ ]

Loonfeather, black and white molly with pale green eyes

Icepuddle, white molly with small black patches, deaf in one ear

Reedstripe, brown and white tabby tom with a thin white facial stripe [ _apprentice: Cricketpaw_ ]

**Apprentices: **

Mudpaw, light brown and white tabby molly with dark brown stripes

Cricketpaw, solid black tom with orange eyes

Nightpaw, tortoiseshell molly with prominent ginger patches

...

SLOPECLAN (incomplete)

**Leader: **Froststar, white tom with golden tabby ears

**Deputy****: **Addertail, long-haired classic brown tabby molly [ _apprentice: Sagepaw_ ]

**Medicine Cat****: **Palebird, very light brown tabby molly

**Medicine Cat Apprentice****: **Asterpaw, fluffy white molly with bright yellow-green eyes

**Warriors****:**

Tallnight, tall black molly with unusually large ears

Kestrelstorm, brown and white ticked tabby molly [ _apprentice: Eaglepaw_ ]

Breezestreak, silver ticked tabby tom with prominent leg stripes [ _apprentice: Hailpaw_ ]

Goldenstorm, large yellow tabby tom with gold eyes

Darkhawk, long-haired brown and white classic tabby tom

Gnatspeckle, dark tortoiseshell molly with a bright ginger throat

Littlecrow, small black tom with pale green eyes

**Apprentices****:**

Hailpaw, long-haired silver ticked tabby tom

Eaglepaw, long-haired dark brown and white ticked tabby tom

Sagepaw, chubby blue-gray molly with a white spot on her chest


	2. 001 Rookpaw

**Author's Note: Thank you for your answers and for giving this story a chance!**

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴏɴᴇ | ʀᴏᴏᴋᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>At its heart the pine forest was thick enough to block the sun, and the land always seemed on the cusp of nightfall. The trees were as close together as a tabby's stripes, and in the wind, they brushed against one another like Clanmates. They rustled the way the streams babbled, as though in conversation, and when the wind was still, the forest resounded with a cuckoo's whooping or a squirrel's chattering. It was a place rich in deep greens, crisp browns, and a culture as ancient as the trees themselves. The pine forest was the pride of DuskClan.<p>

It was sacred, and that was why the young cats thought they could find refuge within its dense center. If they ventured far enough, they were convinced they could hide away from the contempt that permeated their camp. If only for a few moments, they wanted to rest on a forest floor carpeted by pine needles and breathe in the evergreens' sharp scent. The only things that should have been able to find them were the star-like speckles of light that managed to slip through the thick canopy, but they were sadly mistaken.

"So, you see, Pinestar died mewling for his mother, and—"

"That's not how it happened, Bearpaw."

"Oh, yeah, Pikepaw? You wanna prove it?"

The spotted gray tabby flicked his ears forward and rose from the crouched bodies of his fellow apprentices. They watched him with a mix of awe and dread. He was the oldest of the gathered cats, and although Bearpaw was broader, Pikepaw was certainly taller. He was also more ruthless, and the SlopeClan apprentice had dared to invade their privacy.

Pikepaw smirked down at the long-haired tom. "The Battle of Poppy Field happened when you were still blind and suckling at your mother's belly. Meanwhile, I was old enough to leave the nursery. Between the two of us, I think I'm a little more likely to remember what happened that day, and I know for a fact that Pinestar didn't die mewling for his mother."

Bearpaw's long brown fur puffed up. He bared his fangs with a hiss, "It's sick how you protect his honor. Like he ever had any!"

Pikepaw's tail, suddenly as fat as a fox's, lifted into the air. Like a hunter that'd just cornered his prey, his smirk spread into a grin. The two toms stretched their spines into skyward humps, and turning sideways to appear as large as possible, they exchanged deep, throaty growls. It was at that point—just when tensions had boiled over yet again—that Rookpaw felt a cold nose press into his shoulder.

"Rookpaw, do something..."

With a flick of his skinny tail, the black tom looked from the brewing fight to his sister's own fluffy black form. From a distance, the brother-sister pair could easily be mistaken for identical, but up close, the differences were clear. Whereas he was solid black, she bore an identifying white patch on her chest, and while her eyes were still kitten-blue, his had matured into a pale green.

Rookpaw cocked his head to one side. "What do you want me to do, Beetlepaw?" As the youngest apprentices, they didn't carry a whole lot of clout. What was more, Pikepaw wasn't one to appreciate help. The dark tom sighed and licked his sister's ear, meowing softly, "You should be happy. Someone's finally calling Bearpaw out on all the foxdung he spews. Isn't that great?"

"But, Rookpaw..." Beetlepaw dropped the point of her chin down by her paws, staring wide-eyed as the two would-be warriors spat about honor and who had more of it. "Rookpaw, someone could get hurt. Pikepaw could get hurt." She buried her face in her chest, effectively turning herself into a little black lump on the earthy forest floor.

Rookpaw purred. "Pikepaw can handle Bearpaw, you know that."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Rookpaw's features stiffened as his assurance shriveled like a browning leaf. He looked over at the other three DuskClan apprentices. They were still crouching with their tails curled around them. However, while Cedarpaw cheered for the belligerent Pikepaw, Fawnpaw and Rainpaw were watching Beetlepaw with sympathy. They'd heard her. They understood her, and as loathe as he was to admit it, so did Rookpaw.

Even if Pikepaw taught Bearpaw to respect DuskClan cats, he would have to face judgment, and all of DuskClan would suffer as a result. Bearpaw wasn't just some random SlopeClan trespasser. He was the apprentice of SlopeClan's ambassador. That's why Bearpaw was able to push them around. That's why they couldn't just shove his sneering face into the muck. Otherwise, they would never be considered trustworthy.

Rookpaw knew that, and he despised the fact. The injustice of it pricked at his nerves. None of them should have to break up a fight between two hot-headed apprentices, but they didn't have the luxury to let the warriors settle it. The more Rookpaw thought about it, the more he felt Beetlepaw was right. They were part of the problem, just sitting on their tails and letting things happen around them. His heart pounded, but rather than wanting to stand up and weakly tell the two to knock it off, he wanted to sink his claws into something.

"My parents are dead because of SlopeClan savages!"

"Your parents are dead because they were stupid kit-killers!"

Rookpaw jumped to his feet, and Beetlepaw looked up from her forepaws.

There was a collective flinch as Pikepaw shot forward and slashed open the side of Bearpaw's face. Clearly anticipating the other to retaliate, the gray tom pulled back and crouched low. His pupils were eerily wide. His breathless panting very nearly sounded like laughter.

Rookpaw's muscles tensed.

"You crazy—!" Bearpaw dropped low, but before he could strike, Rookpaw headbutted into his shoulder, rolling him onto his side. Beetlepaw let out an audible gasp, and the foreign apprentice landed with a thud. He shot a glare at Rookpaw. "Rookkit! Stay out of it!"

The black tom felt his whole body tremble with a sudden rush of adrenaline. He'd only just begun training a quarter-moon ago, yet he'd actually managed to knock over Bearpaw. Suddenly, Rookpaw felt like he could make a difference, and for a moment, he truly believed that his demonstration of strength would somehow compel the hostile tabby to back down.

Rookpaw pushed his chest forward before meowing, "Don't you dare lay a claw on Pikepaw!" He'd hardly had time to notice that Pikepaw was, as expected, hissing at him—"This is my fight, Rookpaw!"—before Bearpaw was back on his paws.

"You cheating piece of dirt," the long-haired tom spat, one eye squinting as a trickle of blood dripped from his jaw. "So you want to play dirty? Fine." As smooth as a snake, Bearpaw's attention slipped over to Beetlepaw, still crouched like a tiny black rock. She was watching everything with eyes the size of moons.

Fawnpaw, the brown and white tabby, stood up. Her light blue eyes narrowed as she hissed, "Don't!"

Rookpaw lunged again at the SlopeClan apprentice, but his claws merely snatched the fur off Bearpaw's fluffy tail tip. With a wince, he smacked onto a patch of pine needles. He twisted, clawing the soil to get back on his paws and do something, _anything_ to stop the other tom, but he was too late.

He saw Beetlepaw, ducked back into a shivering ball. He saw Fawnpaw and Pikepaw, standing stiff on their paws, while Rainpaw and Cedarpaw crouched with their hackles raised. They were all looking down at Bearpaw, and when Rookpaw followed their shocked stares, his jaw dropped. But a fox-tail away from Beetlepaw, Bearpaw was pinned at the neck by an unknown black warrior.

Rookpaw snapped his mouth shut and shook the sharp needles from his fur before asking, "Who are you?"

The tiny black cat looked up, revealing bright gold eyes. "Oh!" She blinked as if she'd just noticed the other cats, and with a nervous twitch of her whiskers, she stepped off Bearpaw. "I'm sorry. I just saw fighting, and... Well, I absolutely cannot stand fighting, so I felt I had to step in and stop it." She surveyed the apprentices. Then, with a friendly flick of her plumy tail, she declared with fresh confidence, "I'm Blackbee, the DawnClan medicine cat."

Rookpaw's ears folded back. _The DawnClan medicine cat? Here?_ He looked to Fawnpaw, who looked to Beetlepaw, who was looking up at Blackbee with sparkling eyes.

"And just what are you doing on DuskClan territory?" Of all cats, it was Bearpaw to break the silence with a pained roll of his neck. Having been let up, he was now sitting back on his large haunches, eyeing the newcomer with enough fire to burn the whole forest.

Blackbee dipped her head in apology. "I'm actually on my way to replace Hazelfang as DawnClan's ambassador. Firefern requested that I come to lend a paw in the medicine cat's den. I guess I can see why," she purred. "As they say, you just can't keep a Clan's apprentices from fighting each other. Would you like me to help patch you up?"

"I'm not a filth..." Bearpaw trailed off with a growl. "I mean, I'm not a DuskClan cat. I'm the apprentice of SlopeClan's ambassador, and I was trying to defend myself from these dog-brains." He brandished his bleeding cheek, making sure to shoot a hard look at Pikepaw.

"I see," Blackbee mewed. Her expression darkened.

Rookpaw braced himself for a lecture.

However, to every cat's shock, Blackbee simply licked Beetlepaw's ear to comfort her. "All the more reason to stop the fighting, I suppose."

Bearpaw snorted. "Yeah. Right. Aren't you a little early for a new ambassador? We aren't supposed to switch out until moonhigh."

A valid point, Rookpaw thought, considering it was about sunhigh.

"As I'm sure a smart young tom like yourself is aware, medicine cats don't usually serve as ambassadors," she meowed gently, and Rookpaw suddenly noticed her graying muzzle. "Because of that, I thought it would be best to get situated in the medicine cat's den before everyone else arrives and the rush begins. I'll bet you're excited to head home and see all your friends again. It must be rather lonely over here."

Bearpaw opened his mouth to object, but no sound came out, and as if the spirit had been sucked out of him, his tense body wilted. He muttered, "I guess..."

"Why don't you come with me?" Blackbee touched her nose to his shoulder. "That cut shouldn't go untreated."

Bearpaw didn't respond, but when Blackbee pressed against his side, he stood and turned back toward the DuskClan camp.

Rookpaw blinked several times as he watched the pair disappear. Had she really just gotten through to the most stubborn apprentice the forest had ever seen? Had she really just treated them... normally?

Cedarpaw stretched onto his paws and gave his red-brown tabby fur an exaggerated shake. "Well, that takes care of that."

"What a weird cat," Pikepaw meowed, one of his ears flicking in agitation. He dug his claws into the soil, as if to make up for the fact he hadn't had much of a chance to dig them into Bearpaw.

Snickering, Cedarpaw nuzzled his head against Pikepaw's shoulder. "Crazy like a cuckoo, right?" The older apprentice purred, but Fawnpaw, Cedarpaw's sister, simply rolled her eyes.

"It is strange, though. Why Firefern would ask for DawnClan's medicine cat. We already have two of our own," Rainpaw thought aloud, looking off into a void. She shrugged and licked her dark gray shoulder as if to dismiss the thought before turning to Beetlepaw. "Are you going to be all right?"

When no answer was given, Rookpaw padded over to his sister's side. Her face was lit up like daybreak, and she was still staring after the mysterious Blackbee. He pawed at her cheek. "Hey, Beetlepaw?"

Just beneath her breath, the black molly whispered, "She's amazing..."

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for reading, and thank you all the more if you leave a review. It truly helps. 8]<strong>

**_Critical Question_: What do you consider a good chapter length?**

**Until next time!**


	3. 002 Beetlepaw

**Author's Note: As an official statement, allegiances have been added to the prologue, and although I won't answer reviews here, I will be sure to reply via PM. It's the least I can do for you cool cats. That said, if at any point you have a question, feel free to ask. I'd be more than happy to use this space to construct an FAQ. :3 Once again, thanks for sticking with me!**

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ | ʙᴇᴇᴛʟᴇᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>Beetlepaw had left camp that morning with her ears flat and her tail low, but now she padded behind the other apprentices with a bounce in her step. "She was just so smart and calm! And did you see how she pinned Bearpaw? Oh, she's absolutely beautiful, Rookpaw!" She pressed against her brother's side with a purr, and as if to shoo a fly, Rookpaw flicked his ear.<p>

"Okay, okay. I get it," he growled. "This medicine cat is your new hero. Congratulations." Like a grumpy turtle, he drew in his head and frowned.

Beetlepaw relented, "All right, I'll stop." Her mind still buzzed like a hive full of black bees, but she knew how closely Rookpaw guarded his pride. When they were kits, he'd always been the one to save her from an imaginary skulk of foxes, and he didn't seem quite ready to give up his "Official Protector of Beetlepaw" title.

The black molly shut her eyes and flicked her feathery tail. "You know, you were pretty brave too, and you must be _really_ strong to have knocked Bearpaw down."

As the siblings passed under a dapple of sunlight, Rookpaw began to lift his head. However, toward the front of the group, Cedarpaw let out a mrrow of laughter. He grinned back at them from over his powerful shoulder, and Rookpaw's head shrank back down.

Even in the sparse light, Cedarpaw's rich auburn fur shone bright. His tabby stripes were only slightly darker than the rest of him, and around his muzzle, the deep copper color faded into a snowy white. He was a handsome tom, and Beetlepaw could admit to having had a small crush on him when they shared the nursery, though that was a "had" with good reason.

He bounced his head as he chimed, "A newborn kit could knock Bearpaw down! Sorry, Rookpaw, but that's not anything special."

Fawnpaw squinted at her brother. Her light brown fur wasn't as vibrant as his, and her dark brown tabby stripes were standard as were the white patches on her forepaws, but her eyes were blue enough to be seen all the way across camp. As far as Beetlepaw was concerned, she was as beautiful as her brother was handsome, and considering Thornwillow, their mother, that was to be expected.

The light brown tabby knocked her brother with her shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Cedarpaw," she hissed low, "Don't be a brat."

Rainpaw spoke up, "Really. At least Rookpaw did something."

Beetlepaw craned her neck to see the other molly, padding a little to the side of their group. She was dark gray with unusually thick tabby stripes on her face and legs. Her paws were white and, like Beetlepaw, she had a white patch on her chest.

For a second time, Rookpaw lifted his head, and Beetlepaw caught his blink of gratitude.

Rainpaw blinked back.

"Shut up, all of you," Pikepaw snapped. The spotted gray tabby stopped at the front of the group and cast a single look back to make sure all of their mouths were closed before crouching low and peering through the thorny brambles.

One by one, the other apprentices lined up side by side to do the same. Beetlepaw nestled in next to Rookpaw, and squinting hard, she joined the others as they all peered into DuskClan's camp.

Located in an oval-shaped clearing, the camp was one of the few places where the sun shone uninhibited. It streamed down upon the verdant grass and glittered off the nearby lake. The entire camp was at a slight incline, and at the lake-side edge, the gradual hill suddenly dropped into a steep slope that led to the rocky shore.

At the hill's crest was a large pine tree, and at that tree's base was the nursery's fern-covered entrance. On the other end of the crest, at the base of a gnarled oak was the entrance to the elders' den. Beetlepaw could see a few kits peeking from under the nursery's leafy fronds, just as she could see a black and white elder curled against one of the oak's exposed roots.

Between old and new sat a massive boulder, under which was the medicine cat's den, and Beetlepaw watched as Firefern's bright red head poked up from the earthy darkness to see what was going on. After all, Blackbee sat at the camp's center.

The DawnClan cat had a pleasant expression on her face and nodded periodically as Rowanstar, a red and white tabby molly, talked to her. The three ambassadors stood at the DuskClan leader's back, and a few warriors mingled around the camp's peripherals, watching Rowanstar and the foreign medicine cat with as much interest as the hidden apprentices.

Beetlepaw purred.

"They seem to like each other," Rookpaw commented softly, and Beetlepaw bobbed her head in agreement.

"Of course they do," Rainpaw meowed, just quiet enough to make Beetlepaw wonder if she'd spoken at all. After a short pause, Rainpaw explained, "They were medicine cats together for seasons. They were even apprenticed at the same time."

The dark gray molly crouched on the other side of Rookpaw, and Beetlepaw rested her head on the ground to gaze at her from under her brother's chin. "I always forget that Rowanstar was a medicine cat first. I'm glad the other Clans chose her to be our leader, though. I think she's good at it."

Beetlepaw tensed as Rainpaw lowered her frosty yellow eyes to look at her. At first, she thought the older apprentice was going to tell her that she was mouse-brained, but gradually, the edge to Rainpaw's features melted away like ice in green-leaf. Her mouth opened, as though she were about to say something, but instead of the low, confident tones Beetlepaw had come to expect, she heard the high sing-song voice of a kit.

"I found you!"

Beetlepaw whipped her head back around to look through the brambles. The fluffy gray and white form of her young cousin was waiting for her. The kit's white chest heaved with excitement. "Rookpaw! Bee'paw! Your turn to find me now!"

"Nettlekit, shush!" Rookpaw hissed. "You're giving away our position."

"We'll play with you later, okay?" Beetlepaw pleaded.

"You know, when you two became apprentices, I didn't realize you'd bring the whole nursery with you," Cedarpaw remarked, his upper lip quirked to expose a single white fang

"Why do we even bring them with us?" Pikepaw wondered aloud.

Beetlepaw felt her fur grow hot, but as she considered reminding the toms that this morning _she_ had invited _them_ into the forest, another voice piped up:

"Well, well, well. You've indeed found them, Nettlekit."

At once, the six young cats snapped their heads upward to meet Thornwillow's pointed expression. With a twitch of her ear, the golden brown tabby asked, "What do you think we should do with them, Ivyheart?"

As she spoke, the head of the silver tabby deputy appeared beside hers. "We'll have to discuss their absence later. Right now—"

"Don't hurt them!" Nettlekit yowled, her tail in the air and her fur standing on end. She looked like a gray cloud that had lost its way. "No trouble, please! I—"

Beetlepaw watched as Ivyheart lightly tapped the kit's nose with her black-ringed tail. "Relax, Nettlekit. They're in trouble, yes, but StarClan won't fall from the sky. They'll simply need to do a bit of extra work to make up for time lost." She looked back over the brambles. "That said, right now I need Beetlepaw, Pikepaw, and Fawnpaw to join their mentors for the sunhigh patrol." Ivyheart paused, her blue-green eyes scanning the stone-still apprentices. "And I do mean _right now_."

"O-Oh!" Beetlepaw jumped up. Pikepaw and Fawnpaw followed suit, albeit with a more shame-heavy hunch to their shoulders.

"Yes, Ivyheart."

"Sorry for troubling you, Ivyheart."

"Sorry isn't enough, Fawnpaw," Thornwillow mewed to her daughter, her head high and her stare cold.

Fawnpaw's tan-colored ears folded flat. Without another word, she backed up from the brambles and ran for the camp's entrance. Pikepaw followed.

"See you later, Rookpaw... Rainpaw!" Bidding goodbye with a flip of her tail, Beetlepaw raced after the older apprentices.

...

With each heartbeat, Beetlepaw thought of Blackbee, and her paws ached to run back to camp so she could introduce herself. Even though her body padded after the patrol and stumbled through hunts, her mind drifted. Was Blackbee still talking to Rowanstar? Were they discussing their medicine cat experiences, or maybe that time before the War of the Forest? Or was Blackbee now tucked away in the medicine cat's den, sorting herbs with Firefern? Her imagination only ran wild from there, and she daydreamed about Blackbee sending the ambassadors home forever. She daydreamed about Blackbee putting a stop to the other Clans' right to DuskClan prey. She even daydreamed about the DawnClan cat redeeming DuskClan entirely.

Then, Beetlepaw thought proudly to herself, she could stand up to Bearpaw and tell him just how wrong he was. She could already envision his indignant hissing and puffed-up tabby fur.

_I'm not a monster_, she'd meow with a deputy's authority. _I don't have bad blood. I'm not worthless. I'm not—_

"You're a disappointment, Beetlepaw."

Beetlepaw snapped out of her mind's haze and turned to look up at her mentor. Ravenflight stood tall with his chin lifted, a pose not unlike the one Thornwillow had struck earlier that day. He was a large, muscular tom with short blue-black fur and a white speckle over his heart. His expression grew stormier as he waited for her to respond.

"S-Sorry?" Beetlepaw glanced nervously toward the camp's entrance, then back at Ravenflight. Under starlight, the shadowy forest resounded with cricket song, and like fire, her mentor's orange stare burned brighter in the night. "I mean..." She crouched low, and her ears sagged toward the sides of her head. "I'm sorry, Ravenflight. I've been really distracted today; there's so much going on. I'll be better tomorrow, I promise!"

The senior warrior's chest swelled with air as he took a deep breath. "I know that you're the one who led the apprentices to ignore their duties and play in the forest like ill-behaved kits. I had hoped that you would at least make up for that immaturity by working hard, but apparently not."

"Ravenflight, I know what we did was really bad, and I know it was my idea, but you have to understand. Bearpaw, he—"

"I'm tired of hearing about Bearpaw," Ravenflight growled. "Excuses mean nothing to me, you know that."

Beetlepaw looked down at her paws. She could feel her heart beating furiously in her pads.

"Fortunately for you, Ivyheart is feather-soft regarding discipline. She decided earlier today that the apprentices are going to help the new ambassadors adjust to DuskClan territory. I'm sure she'll tell you more about it tomorrow morning. However, to make sure you understand exactly how much you offended both me and our Clan, I'm also assigning you elder duty for the next moon."

"I understand."

"And I'm forbidding you from the upcoming Gathering."

Beetlepaw lifted her chin and her bright blue eyes flashed in the moonlight. A lump caught in her throat, but after feeling a breeze caress the fur around her face, she managed to mew softly, "Okay, Ravenflight."

"Good." Like a tiger, the powerful tom turned and trotted through the break in the camp's surrounding brambles.

Beetlepaw followed at a much slower pace, her tail dragging behind her. By the time she passed through the gap and into the open camp's blue-gray moonlight, Ravenflight had disappeared. Padding further into the clearing, she looked side to side only to realize that she was completely alone. With a tiny huff, the molly slipped around the medicine cat's boulder. She sat back on her haunches, looked out over the silver-topped lake, and then lifted her attention to the moon. It was about a sliver away from being full, and judging from its height in the star-speckled sky, she realized the other apprentices were probably long curled up in their nests.

She wondered if Rookpaw had been worried about her. Ravenflight never kept her out so late. Of course, she figured it was just another layer of punishment, and her brother would probably call her mentor a cranky old bat when she told him. Beetlepaw brightened at the thought.

She began to lick her paw. Still—she had to remind herself—Ravenflight wasn't a bad mentor, not really. He was just difficult to please, and even if Bearpaw had threatened to take her ears off, it was still wrong of her to encourage the other apprentices to hide with her in the forest. Ravenflight just needed an apprentice that was good at fighting and hunting and, well, anything warriors were actually supposed to be good at.

The black molly swiped her paw over her ears and murmured, "I'm probably making him look bad..." She frowned at the blades of grass between her paws, then moved to lick the white patch on her chest.

"I think I'm ready to talk... May I?"

Beetlepaw paused with her pink tongue sticking out, and her ears lifted at the sudden meow. It was soft, and surprisingly, even though she was away from the den's entrance, it sounded as if it came from beneath the boulder. At once, Beetlepaw turned to face the massive rock and crouched at its base. She sniffed once, and catching a whiff of herb-scent, she found a small gap between the dirt and the stone, a gap as slight as the moon's dark sliver.

"I was beginning to think you'd never ask. Please do, Firefern. What exactly did you dream about?"

Beetlepaw's tail tip twitched with excitement, and she rotated her ears toward Blackbee's familiar voice.

"Well, I... I'm not sure." Beetlepaw could practically hear the fluffy red tom shuffling his paws. "I may just be a little bit silly. The dream may not have been from StarClan at all, I just..."

"Stop it," Blackbee meowed, her tone unexpectedly imposing. A sigh, and her usual cheeriness returned. "Just tell me what you dreamed. Whether or not it's from StarClan, I'm curious, but to tell you the truth, if it was enough to inspire both you and Rowanstar to call me here, it must be significant. And, you must understand, I need to know what StarClan might be trying to tell me. I wouldn't have left Mintpaw alone if this wasn't as important as it is."

Beetlepaw felt her heartbeat quicken.

"I understand, Blackbee, and I'm very grateful that you've come." A pause. "When we last met under the half-moon, I dreamed I was under the Great Pine. It was night, but I didn't hear any crickets. It felt like the calm before a great storm, and so I looked up. The sky was clear, and for that I was grateful, but I gave a start when I saw that our Great Pine was covered with black birds, of all different kinds. They came in so many shapes and sizes. Some tall and thin like a reed, others short and round like a river stone. Some had long feathers, others had short, but they were all a deep black in color, and they were all going about their lives in our Great Pine: eating, sleeping, preening, fighting, and chattering as birds do. I watched them, and I watched them, until they all turned to look down and watch me. At first, I thought they were going to mob me, you know, as crows will mob an owl, but they didn't."

"What did they do?"

"Well... Only a select few actually moved. I watched three of them fly out of their nests. That made the others start the make as much of a racket as possible. Then I watched two others leave their perches to fly away from the flock entirely. That made the others start to... to, well, kill one another. Dead birds started to rain down around me, and I became afraid. Then I watched one fly up to the stars. At that point, the Great Pine started to topple over."

"And then?"

"Then I woke up. What do you make of it, Blackbee?"

"Huh." The molly echoed to herself, "Three from the nest, two from the flock, and one to the stars..."

"It sounds like a prophecy, doesn't it? And you see why we thought it might involve you, right?"

Beetlepaw felt a surge of excitement. _A prophecy!_ All of her fantasies about Blackbee saving DuskClan came back to her, and she wanted to shout for joy, to run and tell Rookpaw, but to keep quiet, she clamped down on the tip of her paw.

"It does sound like a prophecy. However, I'm not yet convinced it has anything to do with me."

"I see..."

"Look at me, Firefern. I'm not sorry that I came here. I'm honored that you would share your dream with me, and I promise you that for as long as I'm here I'll do whatever I can to help you figure it out."

"Thank you, Blackbee."

Beetlepaw tilted her head far back to look at the stars, and with delight, she rolled onto her back completely.

_Thank you, Blackbee_, she repeated in her head._ Thank you, thank you, thank you!_

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><p><strong>WHOO. We made it to the prophecy! Admittedly, I'm not too big on prophecies, since I don't think StarClan should be able to influence the living world. As a result, I wanted to try something a little different. We'll see how it works out. ;3<strong>

**Reader Question: At this point, who's your favorite character and why?**

**Critical Question: If there was one thing you could change about this chapter, what would it be?**


	4. 003 Rookpaw

**Author's Note: Welcome back! :3 First, I'd like to give a shoutout to the talented _Leafsplash-of-ThunderClan_ for graciously featuring this story as her FanFiction of the week. It means so much! I would also like to announce that between the efforts of myself and _Winter's Flight_, The Cat's Meow forum has been born. It's a review-swapping, story-helping, chat-based forum that we're hoping to see take off. If you're at all interested, I have a link on my profile, so don't be shy. We're super friendly. c; Now, last but so far from least, I have a question from the lovely _Amberstorm233_.**

_**Question: Does Beetlepaw have a crush on Blackbee?**_

_**Answer: Whether she does or doesn't isn't important to the story, so as a reader you're more than welcome to interpret her behavior however you wish. What is important to remember, though, is that Beetlepaw is about nine years old in human terms, so she won't actively pursue a love life just yet.**_

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ | ʀᴏᴏᴋᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>Although the apprentice den was dug deep beneath a large holly bush, there was a corner that the morning sun never failed to illuminate. It was the one spot every young cat sought to avoid when nest building. However, with six apprentices, the den was full and the sunlit corner was reserved for one of the two newcomers. Rookpaw had volunteered, and he regretted it every morning when a dusty beam of light somehow managed to strike his face.<p>

He'd grown to expect it, and when his most recent dream was interrupted by a sudden red flash, his relaxed features clenched. His eyes squeezed tight. He was prepared to curl his lithe body to hide his face against his belly, but for once, he didn't have to. Instead, the light disappeared and his knotted brows smoothed out. Sleep began to pull him back gently, like the current of a lazy stream, and once more the imagined chant filled his ears:

_"Rookstar! Rookstar!"_

"Rookpaw." A little paw jabbed him between the eyes. His forehead wrinkled again. "Rookpaw, get up." The paw jabbed his whiskers, and his nose wrinkled as well.

His eyes cracked open, and his face's pure black was broken by two pale green slits.

"Finally!" His sister's gentle voice murmured in his ear, "Rookpaw, I have something I need to tell you. It's really important."

He blinked slow, pressing his eyes shut as if trying to squeeze out the sleep, before opening them wide. The sunlight glinted off the dark fur on his face, and his round pupils narrowed. Beetlepaw had already moved toward the den's entrance and was flicking her tail impatiently.

Rookpaw ignored her. He glanced deeper into the den, and in the darkness, he saw the curled forms of the other apprentices. Their sides rose and fell, and their ears periodically twitched. He envied how they were able to sleep so peacefully. Last night, they'd all poured back in from the forest exhausted and thankful for the chance to sleep long and hard. That is, those of them that _had_ come back. Rookpaw snapped his head toward Beetlepaw.

"Did you even sleep last night? I..." He pulled his lips back into a big yawn. "I don't think I saw you come in."

Beetlepaw's ears fell, and her tail drooped. Her round eyes pleaded with him.

"Oh, all right. Don't lose your whiskers." The skinny tom stretched himself onto his feet, and after a shake of his head, he padded after the longer-furred molly.

Rookpaw emerged from the den, and the wet scent of dew-glazed grass replaced the underground's earthy smell. Before him, he could see the lingering mist that had rolled in off the lake, and under the morning light, the field glittered gold. The grass felt cool underpaw, and it was quiet. Camp was empty. It seemed that Beetlepaw had come to wake him just after the dawn patrol left.

"Follow me," Beetlepaw ordered with an unusual firmness. Rookpaw nodded, and like shadows, the two slipped from the front of the den to the Standing Stones, where Rowanstar addressed her Clan.

The great stones stood between the apprentices' holly bush and the nursery's pine tree. Like the large boulder over the medicine cat's den, they were pale gray and streaked with black, but unlike the boulder, they were unusually long.

When Rookpaw was little, he'd been told the story of a DuskClan warrior so fearsome he'd petrified three pine trees after cutting them with his claws. A part of him knew the story was ridiculous. Pikepaw had later told him that Twolegs were responsible for the Standing Stones, and that seemed reasonable. Even so, Rookpaw couldn't help but prefer the exciting story of a great warrior. Every time he saw the stones, he awed at the legacy of the ancient hero, and he dared to dream.

Beetlepaw slipped between the tall center stone and the stone half its height. Wordlessly, Rookpaw slipped in after her, and the siblings settled down onto the grass. Once, not very long ago, they fit between the stones easily with room to stretch out. Now, their fur mingled as they squeezed together.

"I didn't come back last night, because I couldn't sleep. I heard a prophecy."

Rookpaw's ears flicked forward and he turned to study his sister's profile. She stared intently at the medicine cat's den, her ears forward and her paws tucked neatly under her round body. The tom cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean you heard a prophecy? How? From who?"

"Firefern had a dream," she stated. "That's why Blackbee's here. He thought it had something to do with her."

Rookpaw crossed one foreleg over the other and laid his head down. One of his ears folded sideways. "How do you know this?"

Beetlepaw's stern expression faded, and she gave him a sidelong stare. "Well," she mewed, squirming a little. "I overheard it last night, outside Firefern's den." Rookpaw narrowed his eyes, and Beetlepaw stiffened. Her volume slipped. "Just by chance, honest! I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, not at first. It just... Well, it just kind of happened, and I can't get it out of my mind. Is that bad?"

Rookpaw drew up his narrow shoulders in a shrug. "No, not really. Just... don't do it again, okay? It's rude." He waited for his sister to nod before averting his harsh stare. He swatted Beetlepaw with his whip-like tail. "Enough lecture, though. I can tell you're about to burst, so tell me, what's this prophecy?"

She swatted him back. "Blackbirds. They were roosting in the Great Pine, and then they started to panic and kill each other after some of them flew away. They're not sure what it means, but I think it's a warning. I think someone's planning a rebellion, and StarClan's trying to tell us before it's too late and all these cats die. They want us to stop it. What do you think?"

"You're too optimistic, Beetlepaw." Rookpaw purred. "It's too late to stop anything. The moss-ball's already rolling, so I think it's a hint, a sign that if we're smart, we'll leave the forest now before another war breaks out. I mean, just yesterday, Ivyheart was telling me about how MarshClan is starting to slip into SlopeClan's territory, now that SlopeClan is moving deeper and deeper into the mountains."

"Are you serious?" Beetlepaw hissed.

"May StarClan take my tail if I'm lying." Rookpaw rolled onto his side, and pressing his back against a stone's support, he curled his paws at his chest like a kitten. "If you ask me, I think this prophecy is a sign that you and I should run away and start RookClan."

"Rookpaw..." Pulling a paw out from under her chest, Beetlepaw tapped it on her brother's head. "Your ego is showing."

"I'm kidding!" Rookpaw twisted onto his back, away from the incriminating paw. "I don't really think we should leave. It might be hopeless, but we aren't cowards, and DuskClan needs us, because this stuff with MarshClan, it's serious business. They say Swanstar's lost her mind. We'll find out for ourselves at the Gathering, I'm sure."

Beetlepaw tucked her paw back under her body and coughed. "You mean you will."

"What are you talking about? Our first Gathering is tonight. It's gonna be huge."

"Your first Gathering. Ravenflight is holding me back, because it was my idea to hide in the forest yesterday."

"That cranky old bat. You only did that because _he_ wouldn't get creepy Bearpaw to leave you alone. It's like he wanted you to have your ears clawed off. Really, he should just retire already. He clearly doesn't know what's good for apprentices anymore." Rookpaw's scowl softened as an idea struck him. "I'll talk to Ivyheart. Maybe I can convince her to pull rank and give you a pass."

Beetlepaw purred, curling her tail around her. "Thank you, Rookpaw. That's really nice of you."

"Of course." He stretched his paws out and made to squish the molly against the other stone. "It's the least I can do for my kit-sister."

"If you say so." Beetlepaw cast a glance out into camp. "We should probably step out. Ivyheart just poked her head into the apprentice den."

Rookpaw craned his neck, and sure enough he caught a glimpse of the silver tabby standing by the holly bush. A few cats stood off to the side, and only recognizing Blackbee, Rookpaw realized they must be the new ambassadors. One of them, a brown and white tabby tom, held his head as high as possible and shifted on his tiny paws, as if afraid he'd be tainted if he came too close to DuskClan soil. Another, a solid black molly with massive ears and the longest legs he'd ever seen, was scanning the camp in disbelief, as though still shocked by how small it was. Rookpaw growled beneath his breath.

Beetlepaw stood up and shook dewdrops from her fur. "Come on," she mewed before padding forward.

With a quiet groan, Rookpaw rolled onto his paws and followed her.

"Ah, Rookpaw, Beetlepaw. Glad you two could make it." Ivyheart dipped her head as Rainpaw, the last apprentice from the den, emerged to stand beside Rookpaw.

The black tom waved his tail. "What's going on, Ivyheart?"

"You six have some important work to do today, but first, allow me to introduce you." The deputy, standing with three apprentices at each side, turned her attention to the four ambassadors standing across from them.

"I've been told you all met Blackbee in the forest yesterday," Ivyheart meowed with a respectful dip of her head. Ever graceful, Blackbee mirrored the gesture while Ivyheart elaborated, "As DawnClan's medicine cat, her presence here is extraordinarily special and you'd be wise to seek out some of her wisdom."

From the corner of his eye, Rookpaw thought he saw Beetlepaw nod.

"I'd also like to introduce Tallnight, a senior warrior from SlopeClan."

The tall black molly Rookpaw had watched earlier simply flicked one of her fox-like ears. She seemed barely older than Ivyheart, but he'd heard how the nomadic SlopeClan cats died young in the mountains and almost never lived to be elders. It made sense for their warriors to reach seniority sooner.

"And from MarshClan, Reedstripe and his apprentice Cricketpaw."

The brown and white tabby took a step forward before dipping his head low enough to nose the ground. Rookpaw noted the unusually thin white stripe running up the young warrior's nose as he meowed softly, "I am Reedstripe, son of Swanstar, and it is an honor to meet you."

The chubby black apprentice at the warrior's side imitated the gesture. Like the exact opposite of Bearpaw, he echoed, voice wavering, nose to the dirt, "I-I am Cricketpaw, s-son of Loonfeather. The pleasure is mine."

The DuskClan apprentices shuffled amongst themselves, not sure how to respond to what seemed, to them, a repetitive display. Remembering how arrogant Reedstripe had looked before, Rookpaw tasted something sour, but nonetheless he could feel Ivyheart's stare boring into the top of his head, and he touched his nose to the ground. His green eyes fixed on those of the foreign warrior as he declared, "I am Rookpaw, son of Spiderfang." Patiently, he waited as one by one the other DuskClan apprentices followed his lead.

Once Cedarpaw declared himself son of Thornwillow, the apprentices and Reedstripe all lifted their heads in the same movement.

The tabby turned to Ivyheart, his expression blank. "Your next generation looks promising. Surprisingly well-behaved."

"They are, and as I'm sure you'll come to learn, their behavior isn't very surprising at all," Ivyheart meowed nonchalantly. "Now, if it so pleases you, you may select which of these fine young cats you'd like as a guide for the day."

Reedstripe blinked and scanned the offerings. He skimmed over Rookpaw's peers, and the young tom was ready when the MarshClan warrior resumed their earlier staring contest. "If I may, I will put my faith in this Rookpaw, son of Spiderfang."

Ivyheart nodded, then looked to Cricketpaw. "And who would you feel most comfortable with?"

"I, uh..." Cricketpaw's fluffy black fur stood on end, and his orange eyes grew round as they darted from cat to cat.

_He looks like Beetlepaw_, Rookpaw thought, his whiskers twitching in amusement.

"Cricketpaw does not need a guide. He will stay with me," Reedstripe decided. Without once looking at Cricketpaw, he stepped back beside Tallnight and settled onto his slender haunches. Cricketpaw, eyes having stopped on Beetlepaw, turned away and sat beside his mentor without protest.

Rookpaw thought he heard his sister breathe a sigh of relief.

"As you wish," Ivyheart consented. "Tallnight?"

"I'd like the big gray one," the black warrior declared, a predatory twinkle in her pale yellow eyes. "He looks like he has the legs to keep pace."

"It's Pikepaw," the spotted tabby grumbled.

Tallnight let out a mrrow of laughter. "Oh, yes. I think I'll like him a lot."

One of Ivyheart's ears hung awkwardly to the side, but she nodded with a good-natured mrrow of her own, "I'm happy to hear it. Blackbee?"

Rookpaw felt Beetlepaw stiffen beside him.

The petite medicine cat purred, evidently pleased that her choice was still available. "To start, I think I'd like to get to know Rainpaw a little bit better."

Rainpaw gave a firm nod.

Beetlepaw slouched.

"All right." Ivyheart gave each apprentice a final look, her blue-green eyes filled with the sort of happy confidence meant to inspire them to do their best. "Rookpaw, Pikepaw, and Rainpaw. I trust you'll represent DuskClan well as you give our ambassadors a tour of the territory. Fawnpaw and Cedarpaw—" She turned to the siblings, their twin expressions solemn. "—your mentors will return from the dawn patrol shortly. Be ready to train with them when they do, and Beetlepaw."

Beetlepaw's ears shot upright. "Y-yes, Ivyheart?"

"Since you're excused from guide duty, Ravenflight has requested that you spend your morning taking care of the elders. There's a tick infestation and they'll need both grooming and new bedding."

Rookpaw saw Reedstripe wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"I'll do my best!" Beetlepaw nodded firmly, her blue eyes blazing with the same determination most apprentices had for battle practice.

Ivyheart purred. "Firefern will help you as soon as he can. All right, everyone, let's get to it!"

Fawnpaw and a yawning Cedarpaw ducked back under the holly bush, while Beetlepaw raced toward the elders' den. To Tallnight's pleasure, Pikepaw struggled to politely explain the order of their tour, while Blackbee, heading into the forest at Rainpaw's side, asked how the molly enjoyed being an apprentice.

Rookpaw took a deep breath and padded over to the MarshClan cats. "We'll start with the lake, and then—"

"Forgive me, Rookpaw," Reedstripe meowed curtly. "However, before your tour, I'd like to have the opportunity to sit with your elders. That is, if it's all right with you."

"Well..." Although he couldn't quite say why, the request felt odd. Rookpaw had never known ambassadors to check on elders, and he glanced around, hoping to call someone more experienced over. Alas, Ivyheart had already disappeared, and Pikepaw had just passed through the camp's entrance with Tallnight. His claws churned the dirt under his paws. Would Beetlepaw know if it was okay? Would the elders themselves? "I..." He noted Reedstripe's impatiently flicking tail. "I don't see why not." His eyes flickered over to Cricketpaw, who seemed just as bewildered as he.

"Wonderful." The slender brown and white tabby gave his fur a quick shake. "Do lead the way. Cricketpaw, stay close."

"Yes, Reedstripe," Cricketpaw agreed softly.

Rookpaw studied the pair for a moment longer, noting how anxious Cricketpaw seemed and how stone-faced Reedstripe looked. They were both young. They were incredibly polite, and if he recalled, MarshClan was renowned for their medicinal skills. Perhaps, he speculated, they just wanted to help Beetlepaw with the ticks. Besides, Ivyheart was always telling him to give others the benefit of the doubt. She'd trust them, wouldn't she?

Imitating his mentor, Rookpaw purred, "All right, then, let's get to it."

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><p><strong>I think we're at a count of one, two, three... five black cats? Yep, five black cats in this scene. How many more can I pull out of my magical author's hat? Only time will tell. ouo But in all seriousness, thank you for reading. XD And thank you all the more if you take the time to leave a review!<strong>

**Reader Question: What do /you/ think the prophecy means?**

**Critical Question: How frequently should a character be described (i.e. fur color and eye color)?**


	5. 004 Beetlepaw

**Author's Note: Due to school and a variety of other factors, I'll be pushing back my update time to Sunday from now on. Thank you for your patience this week, and without further ado, here's the next installment. :3**

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғᴏᴜʀ | ʙᴇᴇᴛʟᴇᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>"What are you doing here?" Beetlepaw's forehead wrinkled as she dropped a bundle of moss by her paws. Standing beneath the ancient oak, she blocked the entrance to the elders' den, which was large enough to comfortably house five permanent residents as well as their three unexpected guests. The molly cocked her head to one side, and her bright blue eyes lingered on the MarshClan cats before settling on her brother, the thin black tom trapped in her far-reaching shadow.<p>

"Our guests wanted to tour the elders' den first," Rookpaw explained, albeit with a note of question. He tossed a look over his shoulder at Reedstripe, and the brown and white tabby warrior stepped forward.

He began with a customary dip of his head. "I'm not familiar with DuskClan culture, but MarshClan believes elders to be the heart of every Clan. It seems only right for us to meet yours."

From one of the den's shadows, a black and white molly scoffed, "Huh! Looks like MarshClan knows how to do _something_ right." She meowed to her young kin, "Let them stay, Beetlepaw. If they value elders as much as they claim, then surely they know how to get rid of ticks, and StarClan knows we'll want as many helping paws as possible." As if to illustrate her point, the elder reached over to bury her scarred muzzle in her fur and nip at her flank's skin.

"Badgerclaw's right." In the nest next to the molly, a spotted tabby tom coughed. He was a lanky cat, and his ribs stuck out in a way that reminded Beetlepaw of rolling hills. Like the other elders, his body was crisscrossed by scars. However, because large patches of his gray fur were missing, his scars were more visible and they twisted around his body the way gnarled tree roots traveled up the den's walls and ceiling. With a wheeze, the tom took in a deep breath before rasping, "Four sets of paws will get more done than one."

"_Thank you_, Wormtail," Badgerclaw huffed, running her pink tongue over white jaws.

Beetlepaw purred. She'd never seen ambassadors in the elders' den before, but if Badgerclaw, her mother's mother, was giving them permission, then she had no qualms letting the foreign cats stay, especially if their help meant the elders would be tick-free sooner. "In that case, Rookpaw, take this bile—" She tapped her paw on the bundle of bile-soaked moss she'd brought with her. "—and start grooming Wormtail. I'll take our guests to Firefern's den to get more."

"Forgive me, but I think I'll stay here with the young Rookpaw," Reedstripe meowed, his eyes humbly lowered to the den's earthen floor. "You may take Cricketpaw, however."

As Rookpaw padded forward to collect the moss, he paused to give Beetlepaw a wide-eyed look, as though the MarshClan tom had said something incriminating. To Rookpaw's credit, Reedstripe gave a lot of orders for a cat that acted submissive, and this was certainly another example. Then again, after the previous group of ambassadors all but made dirt in the fresh-kill pile, it was nice to have one that at least pretended respect.

Beetlepaw bounced her head once. "All right, then." She flicked her tail toward the entrance behind her and called to Cricketpaw, "Ready to go?"

The chubby black tom scampered to her side.

As Beetlepaw headed back out into the morning sun, she overheard Reedstripe ask Rookpaw for each elder's name. The warrior sounded confident, if not mechanical, more like a mentor testing his apprentice than a curious stranger.

"Well," the young tom began carefully. "There's Badgerclaw and Wormtail, Stoatbelly and..."

"Your territory's beautiful."

Standing beneath the oak's shade, Beetlepaw blinked and turned to Cricketpaw. The tom perched on one of the tree's exposed roots and stared dumbly at his sun-dappled paws. Like a nervous kit, his fur had puffed up to make him look twice his normal size, and for a fleeting moment, Beetlepaw wondered if he was trying to threaten her.

"Thank you?" The black molly, feeling the fur on the back of her neck ruffle, turned away and began to pad toward Firefern's boulder.

"I-I mean!" He bounded after her. "There aren't a lot of trees in the marsh and, well, it's so different here..." He stiffened and glanced at her, eyes round with apology. "But a good kind of different! With so many trees, it feels... I don't know, safer. I guess."

Beetlepaw paused at the boulder's black mouth and turned to study Cricketpaw's expression. For whatever reason, he couldn't seem to look at her directly. He kept his shoulders hunched and his head drawn close to his body.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" The tom's thin white whiskers drooped, and Beetlepaw shook her head.

"No. It's just... you're nothing like the last apprentice." She halted, remembering Bearpaw's thorn-sharp claws, his bitter snarls, and what it was like to be pinned under his weight. She couldn't imagine this timid MarshClan apprentice doing anything of the sort, and she mewed softly, "Like you said about the forest, though, it's a good kind of different. I just need to get used to it."

Cricketpaw's fire-orange eyes lifted to her face, and his small ears perked. "Thank you, Beetlepaw."

"There's nothing to thank me for." She hesitated long enough for a lark to finish its lilting song, then purred, "If anything, I should be thanking you." With that, the molly ducked her head and slipped under the boulder.

Cricketpaw followed dutifully, his whiskers pressed against her furry tail tip.

After a few pawsteps, however, Beetlepaw no longer felt him behind her, and she figured he'd paused near the entrance to study the den itself.

Compared to the elders' den, the medicine cat's den was considerably smaller, and for a MarshClan cat, that was probably a shock. It was long and narrow, and on each of the two side walls, a distinct tunnel burrowed deeper into the earth. Along the base of those same walls, little pockets were dug out for herb storage, and to the back, where the den's narrow body suddenly fanned wide, there sat three empty nests.

"Firefern's still out collecting herbs," Beetlepaw noted, venturing deeper into the darkness. Her black nose wiggled as she scented for the bile store, and she followed the sickly sweet odor until she stopped before one of the wall's deeper pockets. "What do think?" Without waiting for an answer, she bent down to grab a fresh mouthful of smelly moss. She held her breath.

"Different," Cricketpaw murmured, almost to himself. The tom paused near one of the warrior-sized tunnels and peered into its depths. "Where do these go?"

Beetlepaw shut her eyes and padded over. She dropped the sour-tasting moss on the ground before Cricketpaw, and after a deep breath, explained, "That one goes to the elders' den. The other to the nursery."

Cricketpaw wrinkled his nose in thought before picking up the moss himself. Although his meow was muffled, Beetlepaw heard his question clearly, "Why?"

"Safety," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "If a den's entrance is ever blocked, we want to be sure there's always another way to escape." Beetlepaw paused, then turned and padded back toward the bile store. She chose her next words carefully, "When DuskClan camp was invaded during the War of the Forest, our queens and elders were killed. Wormtail was a relatively new elder then, and he'd retired without injury, so he was able to escape."

Beetlepaw stole a peek at Cricketpaw and saw how he bit down on his moss, almost as if he'd heard the echoes of long-extinguished yowls. "Fortunately," she continued, "Wormtail also managed to save Pikepaw, his son's kit, but they were the only two to get out alive."

"Pi'pa'? Th' one tha' looked like 'e wanted t' kill me?"

Beetlepaw lifted her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. "Probably. Don't take it personally, though. He gives everyone that look from time to time." She figured it was how he reminded others he was still a warrior-in-training, even if he occasionally woke up mewling from his nightmares. Frowning, Beetlepaw sank her teeth into an especially large bundle of moss. She turned, and with a friendly flick of her tail, she nodded toward the sunlit entrance.

Together, the two black apprentices returned to the elders' den, and as they stepped back into the soil-scented darkness, they watched Rookpaw nose his moss against Wormtail's side.

"Now hold it," Reedstripe instructed. "And when you can't hold your breath any more, let go. That's how you know you've held the moss long enough."

Beetlepaw set her moss down and tore it in half with her claws. Then, her voice as clear and bright as the morning, she asked, "Ready to start yourself?"

Reedstripe twisted his long neck to look behind his tabby-striped back. His brown ears twitched, and seeing the moss, he meowed with that characteristic dip of his head, "Thank you, Beetlepaw."

"You're welcome," she mewed with a dip of her own, then turned to the tom beside her. "Cricketpaw, you can help Tawnymouse." She flicked her ear toward the small golden brown molly next to Wormtail. Painful-looking scars streamed down the tabby elder's head, and her ears were reduced to hardly distinguishable stumps. "She's deaf," Beetlepaw explained, "so make sure you show her the moss before you start."

"Righ'," Cricketpaw answered, a fresh determination in his meow.

As he padded forward, his head held high so the elder could clearly see both him and the moss he carried, Beetlepaw turned back to Reedstripe only to find that the warrior was already standing at her side. Before she could open her mouth, he spoke, "If it's no trouble, I'd like to take care of Barkface."

Having heard his name, the brown tabby elder lifted his head from his supposed slumber.

Beetlepaw followed Reedstripe's stare and studied the tom, the youngest in the den by whole seasons. Like the others, his body was lined by scars. However, while Tawnymouse had lost her hearing, he had lost his vision, and according to some cats, his mind as well. His once-handsome face had been marred by claws, and Beetlepaw suppressed a shudder as the gaping sockets where his eyes used to be turned to face her. The blind tom tilted his head and frantically swiveled his ears.

His terrifying appearance aside, he looked more like a helpless kit than a spirit from the Dark Forest.

Beetlepaw sighed. "Be gentle with him. He scares easily."

"Of course." Without a moment's hesitation, Reedstripe snatched up one of the two moss bundles at her paws and headed toward the nervous elder.

"Thank you for your patience, Badgerclaw," Beetlepaw called to the black and white molly. "We'll get to you as soon as we can."

Badgerclaw yawned. "Think nothing of it. I know Stoatbelly goes absolutely crazy if he starts feeling little tick bites." She clicked her teeth rapidly to imitate one of the feasting parasites.

Stoatbelly, a dark brown tom, pushed his bright white chest forward and growled from across the den, "I insist on comfort, you thoughtless, terrible thorn in my paw. Is that so bad?"

"Don't be such a kitten. I'm only teasing." Badgerclaw pawed the air.

Agitated, Stoatbelly began flicking the tip of his tail, but as Beetlepaw approached him and began nosing through his dark fur, the tail stilled. She located a tick, black and swollen to the size of her nose, and she quickly pressed the moss over it. Curious to try Reedstripe's suggestion, she filled her lungs with air.

"Now, since we're already preening each other like birds, why don't we chatter like them as well? Would anyone here like to hear a story?" Badgerclaw queried with an excited gleam in her dark orange eyes.

Beetlepaw glanced around and realized that she and the other two apprentices all sat with puffed cheeks, and judging from Rookpaw's fierce concentration, he was trying to turn breath-holding into a competition between the three of them. Reedstripe, in contrast, looked perfectly tranquil as he pressed his moss against Barkface's spine. He seemed about to answer the black and white elder when Barkface himself began to purr.

"I've always liked Lune's story. My mother used to tell it to me all the time."

Stoatbelly rolled his dark green eyes, and Beetlepaw felt his body rumble as he growled softly, "Here we go again... A moon-white molly called Lune grew up listening to the ravings of a kittypet. No, wait, the ravings of a former leader of the Thundering Forest, as the cuckoo himself claimed." Beneath his breath, he muttered, "Ridiculous." Stoatbelly rested his head on his forepaws and shut his eyes before continuing in his haughty tone, "Lune took his insanity to heart, rallied rogues and loners, prevented a war through the formation of four Clans, and now we meet under the light of the full moon to honor her memory. We hear this every day. Let's try another."

Barkface folded his ears back and rested his head on his paws in defeat.

After a moment's hesitation, Reedstripe took advantage of the silence. He spoke slowly, his words no less purposeful than a killing bite, "To tell you the truth, I'd be curious to hear your rendition of the War of the Forest."

Rookpaw, due more to his lungs giving out than shock, gasped for fresh air.

A number of the elders ducked their heads, as if clawed, and seeing the shadow that had fallen across every cat's face, Tawymouse looked around confusedly. The stumps of her ears twitched, as though still trying to hear.

Badgerclaw, meanwhile, sat upright and glared across the den at the ambassador. "You should know that's not a story for casual conversation, especially not in an elders' den." It was clear that she meant respect, but her words still came out with a faint hiss. "Many here are haunted by the war, and they will be haunted by it forever. They don't need you to stir up old terrors, so mind your place."

"I'm very aware of my place, Badgerclaw," Reedstripe rejoined, his ears forward and his green eyes narrowed into slits. "You are prisoners. You are all prisoners. Your territory is your prison, and I am your new warden. I may be one of your kinder masters, but I have requested something from you, something important, yet you deny my wish. I am rightfully displeased, and I suggest you rethink your stance before I'm forced to administer punishment."

Beetlepaw, moments from smothering another tick, let the moss drop from her mouth. She turned her head in time to watch Badgerclaw's hackles rise and her orange eyes become as sharp as ice. Next to her, Rookpaw's tail shot up and doubled in size. Like the young cat he was, he hissed and clawed the air as if to declare: _I knew it!_ However, they were the only two that seemed willing to challenge Reedstripe.

Beetlepaw was quick to note how Wormtail and Stoatbelly kept their heads ducked low, how Tawnymouse whimpered her confusion, and how Barkface lay as still as a fawn beneath Reedstripe's claws.

"Reedstripe!" Cricketpaw cried out in disbelief, his small black body trembling.

The brown and white tabby warrior rounded on his apprentice. "Don't you _dare_ show your weakness here."

Beetlepaw's ears sagged. For a heartbeat, she thought Reedstripe had spoken in Ravenflight's voice.

"Leave your apprentice alone, Reedstripe," Badgerclaw spat as she settled back onto her white belly. "I'll tell you the story we tell our kits if it's so important to you."

"But, Badgerclaw," Rookpaw hissed.

"Quiet, young one, and tend to Wormtail." Badgerclaw refused to take her eyes off Reedstripe's slender form. "I won't begin until ticks are being killed."

Both Rookpaw and Reedstripe turned away with a grunt. The two toms did as told, though Reedstripe knocked his moss against Barkface's side abruptly and with a violent amount of force.

The blind elder let out a pained yowl, though quickly realizing he was unharmed, his cry soon died down to a whimper.

Rookpaw had to rip his eyes away, and as Badgerclaw's feathery black tail flicked across his back, he seemed to bite his tongue.

As Barkface curled into a ball and shivered, Beetlepaw felt her heart flutter in her chest like a trapped bird, but she didn't have the power to help him. Resigning herself to that fact, she picked up her moss. Her body was shaking as badly as Cricketpaw's, but she managed to smother another of Stoatbelly's ticks. She managed to focus, to pretend that Reedstripe had never called them prisoners. This time, she didn't hold her breath.

"Twenty moons ago, Pinestar came to power in DuskClan," Badgerclaw began, her voice loud and clear. "He was a brave cat and a good warrior. He had friends in many of the Clans, including the cats that would later become Swanstar, Froststar, and Rabbitstar. Few were surprised when he became a leader while still so young, and with Froststar and Rabbitstar as leaders and Swanstar as a deputy, a time of great peace seemed upon the Clans..."

Badgerclaw paused, and the den was quiet save for Tawnymouse's whimpering. Cricketpaw set his moss down and began to comfortingly lick her golden brown fur.

"However." An edge entered Badgerclaw's voice, and she continued at a faster pace, "Pinestar's ambition was his folly. As we understand it, he wanted to command all of the Great Pine Forest, and he launched his campaign immediately after receiving his nine lives. He stole the forested land from MarshClan and SlopeClan, and having the support of both Froststar and Swanstar, his claims went unchallenged.

"Unfortunately, their generous appeasement was not enough to satiate his greed, and things changed quickly once Pinestar tried to push into DawnClan's forest territory. Rabbitstar, always a brave and righteous molly, opposed her old friend and rejected his offer to merge DuskClan and DawnClan into PineClan. She refused him in the morning and later that evening Pinestar raided DawnClan's camp. His warriors killed many. They slaughtered kits and queens and elders and any cat too slow to escape their terrible claws. Rabbitstar fought valiantly, but she was the first of many to fall to this great tragedy. The survivors of the massacre escaped to the twolegplace. They hid there among rogues while Pinestar relished his victory and ruled his forest like the _tyrant_—" Badgerclaw spat the word. "—he was.

"StarClan would not stand for this. They sent a vision to the medicine cats. They showed the Great Pine collapsing, and taking their message to heart, SlopeClan and MarshClan united with the DawnClan survivors, now led by the rogue that would become Snakestar. Together the three Clans waged war against DuskClan. Many were killed on both sides. The fighting was constant. It was a miserable time, but at long last the war finally ended with the Battle of Poppy Field. For it was there that the Great Pinestar did indeed fall, and with his death, peace returned to the forest."

As the last of Badgerclaw's words faded into silence, no cat dared to twitch a whisker, and even Tawnymouse had stopped whimpering.

Barkface had his paws over his ears.

Like Rookpaw, Stoatbelly's lip was curled, and like Cricketpaw, Wormtail looked ready to faint.

The irony of peace hung heavy on each cat's shoulders, and each stared tensely at Badgerclaw, waiting for her to say something more. But the elder had finished, and she simply glared at Reedstripe, no doubt waiting for him to either approve of her telling or shame her for somehow managing to glorify DuskClan's past.

The MarshClan tom sat tall, his expression as empty as a field in leaf-bare. He murmured just loud enough to be heard, "You didn't mention that you participated in DawnClan's massacre. Do your kits not know they walk with murderers?"

Like cats of the same mind, Beetlepaw and her brother flinched simultaneously. Her head swam with images of her Clanmates stained red with blood. She saw Ravenflight split a warrior's belly. She saw Ivyheart slash open an apprentice's throat, and she saw the dark shape of her mother, Spiderfang, ripping mewling kits limb from limb.

"Who benefits from this illusion? This lie that those of you still alive are innocent?" Reedstripe paused and folded his ears back. "Just how many did you—personally—kill, Badgerclaw?"

Whole heartbeats passed in deathly silence, and as Badgerclaw glared at the den floor, it seemed to Beetlepaw that they'd be stuck forever in this awful standstill.

That is, until a shadow fell over the scene, and Beetlepaw looked up to see a dark figure standing at the den's entrance. Blocking the sun, the cat was nothing but a black shape, but the young molly recognized her instantly.

Blackbee tilted her head, her golden eyes wide with concern. "What's going on here?"

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><p><strong>As always, thanks for reading! And of course, a review to let me know how you're keeping up would be the absolute best. It's always encouraging to receive a few kind or constructive words.<strong>

**_Reader Question_: What are your thoughts on the War of the Forest?**

**_Critical Question_: At this point, how is my pacing?**


	6. 005 Rookpaw

**Author's Note: As a new writer, I have a poor gauge on how long it'll take me to finish a chapter, and it seems I need more time than previously thought. I'm going to be more general, and for now updates are scheduled to occur between Saturday morning and Monday morning. I apologize for the inconsistency. orz**

_**Trigger Warning: graphic descriptions of gore.**_

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ғɪᴠᴇ | ʀᴏᴏᴋᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>In the indigo sky, the moon's milky light smothered the stars. It coated the pine trees with a pale sheen and turned the camp's lush grass silver. Even the bramble bushes whispering in the night breeze appeared a lonely gray. The full moon, bright as it was, had drained the world of its color, and to Rookpaw, it looked like the night had stolen the very essence of life. The gray-scale made the gathered cats near the camp's entrance seem all the more forlorn, and the young apprentice's thoughts darkened accordingly.<p>

He should have been fidgeting with excitement, eager to see if the rumors were true. Did SlopeClan have wolves among their ranks? Were DawnClan's kittypets rainbow-colored? He should have entertained the wildest fantasies, but instead his mind was clouded by Reedstripe and what had happened that morning in the elders' den.

Fortunately Blackbee, her tail fluffed up, had demanded that the MarshClan cats leave the den, and fortunately, Rowanstar had formally addressed the issue from atop the Standing Stones.

"We haven't the power to stop you, should you wish to visit with our elders again," the ginger molly had meowed solemnly, her green eyes blazing, "But neither DuskClan's warriors nor the elders themselves will accept blame if you are no longer warmly received."

To Rookpaw, it hadn't sounded like much. The lack of punishment—of direct banishment—enraged him. He'd hissed, earning the stares of a few queens and a nudge from Fawnpaw. Beetlepaw later told him that she'd seen Reedstripe's nostrils flare, and around sunhigh, when Rookpaw grudgingly gave the MarshClan cats their tour, he noted how Reedstripe trailed behind. Only then did Rookpaw realize that Rowanstar had said something significant enough to wound the tomcat, but even now, long after the sun had disappeared into its den, he couldn't quite put his paw on what.

His ears flattened. An owl hooted, and when a warrior nosed his shoulder, Rookpaw frowned at the silvery grass.

"I'm sorry about Beetlepaw," Ivyheart meowed softly. "I'll make sure she has a spot at the next Gathering, one not even Ravenflight can take away."

Rookpaw refused to look at her.

"I know I've let you down, and in the coming days, I'll do my best to make it up to both you and Beetlepaw."

"What's this about Beetlepaw?"

Rookpaw lifted his pale green eyes to see a young warrior approaching. He was a slender tom, and his willowy muscles could be seen rippling beneath his short snowy fur. His ears and nose were a bright pink, and his dark gold eyes were wide with genuine concern. Coming to a halt before the deputy and apprentice, he swished his tail and looked from one to the other.

The skinny black tom shook his fur, and he flicked his triangular ears forward. "Ravenflight is keeping Beetlepaw from the Gathering, and Ivyheart didn't overrule him."

"Poor Beetlepaw." The white warrior sighed. "Firefern was telling me earlier about how much she helped to calm the elders down this morning. She's a good cat, and I certainly think she's earned a spot here tonight. Shame it's not up to me." With a gentle paw, he tapped Rookpaw's nose. "However, to be clear, I'd bet my tail that Ivyheart tried everything she could. She's the best mentor I ever had, you know." The tom winked.

"You're too kind, Snowfoot," Ivyheart purred.

Rookpaw blinked slowly and dropped his gaze back to the grass. Snowfoot had been the youngest warrior apprentice from their Clan to survive the War of the Forest. Ivyheart had told him that Snowfoot survived, because he was the fastest cat in DuskClan, but in whispers, he'd overheard other warriors call him a coward.

"Are you going to be all right?"

Rookpaw felt Ivyheart's blue-green eyes watching him carefully. An image flashed in his mind, one of the silver tabby sinking her teeth into a queen's neck, and he felt a chill run up his spine. He shook his head, as if to flick a drop off water off his nose, and he looked to his mentor. "I'll be fine, I promise. I'm just shaken up about Reedstripe is all." He felt the molly lick his ear, and he purred in response, "Thanks for worrying about me, though."

Ivyheart rubbed her cheek against the top of his head. "Any time, Rookstar."

"Rookstar, huh?" Snowfoot cocked his head at a ninety degree angle. "I like the sound of it. Say, can I be your deputy?"

"Is everyone ready to go?" The meow was quiet, but every cat heard it, and the trio fell silent as Rowanstar padded to stand at the front of the group. She was a small cat, but her ginger and white tabby fur stood out from the other black, gray, and white pelts.

Pikepaw, the only other apprentice, stood with his mentor Whitelion, a large white tom with a prominent neck ruff. Lindenfur, a young gray tabby molly, stood by herself, as did Ravenflight. Each cat looked forward with as little expression as possible.

"As you know, DuskClan will be evaluated tonight." Rowanstar looked over each cat. Despite her size and medicine cat background, Rookpaw distinguished a fiery determination in her stance as she meowed, "Leaf-bare is just around the corner, and if the other Clans are allowed access to our prey, then I fear death will find us. We've earned the right to run off idle warriors, but that isn't enough. We must come away from this Gathering with the right to secure our borders permanently. You've been invited, because I feel you each have something to prove to the other Clans. Keep your heads high. I trust you will bring honor to DuskClan this night."

Ivyheart rose to her paws and meowed, "For DuskClan!"

"For DuskClan!" Snowfoot was the first to echo her, and the others, Rookpaw included, were not far behind.

A soft smile crossed Rowanstar's features, and she lowered her white chin, as though StarClan itself had joined their cheer. "Thank you."

With that, their leader turned on white paws and darted into the dark forest. Ivyheart dashed off behind her, and after a startled flinch, Rookpaw followed.

He could hear the other cats running behind him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the pine trees rushing past. On patrols, most cats engaged in a conversation of some kind, and Rookpaw had expected the same for a trip to the Great Pine. However, the only sound he heard was the shuffling of pine needles across the forest floor. _Like a Clan running into battle_, he thought, and he could feel his heart sink.

As the group rounded an algae-topped pond, Ivyheart slowed to run at his side. "How are you holding up?"

"All right," Rookpaw answered, though his pads were beginning to feel sore. He was sure he'd stepped on a needle the wrong way. "Are we almost there?"

"Just about halfway," Ivyheart meowed before speeding up. "If you need to slow down, just call my name."

"Right," Rookpaw panted.

The run was more taxing than the young tom had initially anticipated. His throat felt tight, and he swallowed in an attempt to soothe it. Eventually, though, he felt his lungs sting, and he called to let Ivyheart know that he was slowing down. Without missing a beat, she pulled back to match his pace.

Pikepaw and Ravenflight happily ran by. Whitelion and Lindenfur weren't far behind, but Snowfoot hung back with the pair to take up the rear.

The three continued as a separate group, one still shrouded in silence, and Rookpaw's ear twitched when he heard an owl hooting. He recognized the pitch, and he realized with a shiver that the owl he'd heard at camp had followed them. He wondered if he was still small enough to be considered prey for the nocturnal predator, and after seeing the bird swoop across their path, he figured the owl was trying to decide that for itself.

"Heads up!" Ivyheart leaped easily over a fallen pine tree.

Rookpaw attempted the leap himself, but he sprang too early, and his hind legs caught on the large trunk. He grunted, hanging over the tree like a limp fish, and he frowned while his back paws clawed the bark in an attempt to find his footing.

"I gotcha," Snowfoot meowed as he hopped atop the tree. He lifted the dark apprentice by his scruff and set him down at his side.

The toms, pure white and pure black, exchanged purrs. As one, they jumped from the trunk and sprinted to catch up with their shared mentor.

"There you two are," the silver molly called back as Rookpaw fell in step behind her. She flicked her tail with relief, and after a little while longer, she slowed to a brisk walk before leading them up a hill.

At the top, Rowanstar waited with the rest of their group.

She made no move to leave as the three joined them, and Rookpaw fell back on his haunches. He panted through open jaws as he surveyed the Great Pine below.

The behemoth was the largest in the forest and towered above all the other pines around it. Its branches were high enough that only birds could reach them, and it was said that twenty warriors would have to stand nose to tail in order to surround its trunk. Rookpaw remembered the elders telling him how the Great Pine had grown so large, because it stood at the exact spot where two streams met. One of the streams came from DawnClan's territory, the other from a cave nestled between SlopeClan's hills, and they ringed around the tree to form a third stream that led down into the wetlands. It was the intersecting point of the three landscapes: field, forest, and marsh, and as such, it was unquestionably sacred. Even twolegs seemed to know that.

"Have you caught your breath?" Rowanstar padded over to Rookpaw, and the young tom managed a shaky nod as he swallowed once more.

Rowanstar nodded back, then turned to her warriors. "Let's go."

The DuskClan cats padded carefully down the muddy slope, and one or two slipped a few tail-lengths of the way down. They splashed through one of the glinting streams, and on the other side, they disappeared in the Great Pine's shadow. Rowanstar sniffed the air once, then slipped through a fox-sized hollow at the pine's base. The others followed.

Rookpaw held his breath, and as Ivyheart ushered him off to the side, his expanding pupils adjusted to the deep darkness inside the tree's trunk.

The hollow smelled strongly of pine needles, a familiar scent that soothed his nerves as he realized just how many cats the tree concealed. Their eyes blinked green and red in the sparse light, and at first, Rookpaw mistook them for stars, but he quickly understood that there were ledges along the inner trunk, ledges high enough to disappear into the upper shadows. It seemed the better climbers had scaled the hollow to pile atop them. In fact, few cats sat along the earthen floor, and Rookpaw watched in awe as most of the DuskClan group sank their claws into the wood and made their way up toward an empty ledge. Of their number, only Rowanstar, Ivyheart, and himself remained grounded.

Despite the multitude of cats present, the entire hollow was quiet save for some hushed murmuring, and Rookpaw quickly noted how each Clan occupied a given corner.

To the back, the largest group of cats perched like vultures with their tails wrapped around their bodies. Based on the fishy smell emanating from them, Rookpaw figured they must be MarshClan. Like DuskClan, they were predominantly black and white in color, though there was one bright ginger warrior that stood out. Looking closer, Rookpaw could make out two apprentices in their ranks, including a dark tortoiseshell that looked to be about Cricketpaw's age. She stood close to the other apprentice, a pale brown tabby with unusually deep green eyes, and both looked curiously toward the newly arrived DuskClan cats.

Rookpaw turned his attention to the corner with a slightly smaller group. They were all sorts of different colors, and even before distinguishing the sickly sweet scent of flowers, Rookpaw knew they were DawnClan. He didn't see any cats with rainbow fur, but he watched a white warrior with pale gray stripes murmur in an unusual-looking molly's ear. Most of her long-haired body was a pale cream color, but her face, ears, tail, and forelimbs were a much darker blue-gray. Her paws were stark white, and her eyes were a blue even brighter than Fawnpaw's.

Rookpaw felt his fur grow hot, but noticing a large black DawnClan warrior eyeing him from across the hollow, he averted his eyes toward the only other corner, where a single warrior, brown and white, laid across the lowest ledge. He was looking over toward DuskClan with something predatory in his pale yellow eyes, and Rookpaw was able to faintly distinguish SlopeClan's dusty odor.

"Ivyheart," he meowed, "I thought SlopeClan was the largest Clan..."

Ivyheart followed his gaze and grunted. "You're right. They usually bring the most cats. Perhaps Froststar will explain their absence. Look." She nudged her apprentice's cheek, guiding his attention, and Rookpaw turned his head to look toward the center, where Rowanstar was padding to join several other cats.

The moonlight streaming in from the hollow's opening shone directly on the central group, and when a cream tabby molly stepped forward, a hush fell over the Gathering.

She stood tall, her head held as high as her tail, and her bright golden eyes scanned the cats perched above. "The Gathering may now begin. As the first order of business, it is my duty to announce that Froststar, after a long and admirable reign, has decided to retire. This means that I, Swanstar of MarshClan, will now act as senior leader and guide the proceedings." She shut her eyes and sat back. Her beige-ringed tail curled around her paws. "Rowanstar, you may begin."

"Thank you, Swanstar." Rowanstar came to stand beside the cream tabby, and her meow rang clear across the hollow, "DuskClan is surviving. Prey is running well, and we are more than happy to share our present bounty with the other Clans as they continue to recover from our past wrongs. Our kits are growing, and this past moon we've welcomed two new apprentices, Beetlepaw and Rookpaw, the latter of which has joined us tonight."

Rowanstar paused, but no cheers came, and Rookpaw flattened his ears.

Rowanstar took a breath and continued, "We sent the old ambassadors off in good condition, and the new ambassadors have settled in without issue. DuskClan does come to this Gathering with a request, however, and we hope Swanstar will judge in our favor."

She paused, and Rookpaw noticed that she was taking the time to make eye contact with select cats in the crowd before elaborating, "DuskClan cannot withstand another leaf-bare if our borders are open to other hunters. We wish to close our borders to all except ambassadors when the first snow falls in the coming season. As I said before, we are happy to share prey in our time of plenty, but we cannot offer the same once our prey becomes scarce. If you recall, we lost cats last cycle, and only with your good graces can we avoid a similar fate this cycle. Thank you." Rowanstar dropped her chin and sat down.

"Snakestar," Swanstar called, and a thin brown tabby stepped forward.

He was quite visibly one of the youngest cats at the hollow's center, and his bright yellow eyes studied Rowanstar before he looked out to his audience. "DawnClan is recovering quickly. The prey seems endless and our warriors grow stronger every day. Our elder leads a healthy life, and new kits are being born. On that note, it's my pleasure to announce that my mate Roseclaw has given birth to Honeykit and Lionkit."

"Honeykit! Lionkit! Honeykit! Lionkit!" The cats chanted.

Rookpaw joined in bitterly, and he noted with some surprise how Ivyheart chanted the loudest.

"We have sent our medicine cat Blackbee over to DuskClan for the next two and a half moons, and we trust she will be treated well. Her apprentice, Mintpaw, is doing an excellent job taking care of us in the meantime." He looked once more at Rowanstar. "Although my personal judgment carries no weight, as the final decision belongs to Swanstar, it is my opinion that DawnClan no longer needs DuskClan prey, and I hope the other Clans have it in them to admit the same. Thank you." He dipped his head and sat down.

Some murmuring broke out, but it quickly died down once Swanstar called out the name of the next leader, and a bright yellow tabby tom stepped forward to stand beside Snakestar. He was silent.

"Goldenstar?" Swanstar meowed sharply.

The tom took a deep breath. "I, Goldenstar, stand before you as SlopeClan's new leader, and I bring what I suspect will be unwelcome news. My Clan is currently camped in the mountains beyond the river, and that is all I will say of our status. You, our enemies, have no right to any more information than that."

A few cats gasped. Others hissed, and some turned to their friends with hushed whispering. One DawnClan warrior called out, "How dare you!"

Goldenstar twitched his whiskers and waited for the cats to settle down before continuing, "Most of my warriors did not wish to come to this Gathering, and I saw no reason to force them. We believe this meeting under the full moon serves no practical purpose, and today, we are here only to report on DuskClan's behavior these past few moons. We will not attend the next Gathering, and Tallnight will be the last ambassador we send. We are withdrawing from this... coalition of Clans indefinitely."

Goldenstar stepped back before sitting down, leaving the line of leaders incomplete, and the Gathering erupted in a fit of spitting and yowling.

Rookpaw shifted closer to Ivyheart. She wrapped her tail around him, as above their heads, the other DuskClan cats audibly clawed the wood, as if bracing themselves for battle. Unlike the other Clans, however, they remained quiet.

The SlopeClan warrior on the ledge had jumped down with his hackles raised, and Rookpaw anxiously turned toward Swanstar.

As the senior leader, it was her responsibility to quiet the cats, but she simply sat with pride, as if Goldenstar's announcement and the resulting outrage were nothing but a pleasant sun shower. Maybe, the black tom thought, she really was insane. Then again, looking across the hollow, he saw that many MarshClan warriors shared her eerily pleasant expression.

Eventually, the hollow plunged back into silence. Any cat that had made a step toward Goldenstar had been pulled back by their fellow warriors. The truce held.

Swanstar rolled her shoulders before standing up and beginning herself, "MarshClan is flourishing. Like DawnClan, our prey is plentiful, and our cats continue to lead long and healthy lives. There have been no deaths, and there have been no births. My son Reedstripe and his apprentice Cricketpaw have been sent to monitor DuskClan, and we trust they will not be harmed while there. A wolf wandered through our territory a few nights ago, but we suspect it has left Clan land. As distressing as the news may be, MarshClan wishes SlopeClan well as they venture deeper into the mountains." She sat back down. "At this time, the ambassadors will give their report."

The other four cats huddled at the center came to stand at the forefront. Turtletail, a short tom with a dark swirling pattern on his brown body stood in front of Swanstar, and Hazelfang, a yellow and white tabby molly stood in front of Snakestar. Wolfwhisker, a gray tom with a long, sloping nose and black stripes on his legs, stood beside Hazelfang with his apprentice Bearpaw.

Rookpaw held his breath.

"My time with DuskClan was unpleasant," Turtletail began slowly, his nose held high. "My nest, my prey, and the cats around me were often dirty and I spent a lot of time either grooming or convincing cats to take the time to groom themselves. A lot of the prey I received smelled rotten and sick. That's not to say I think DuskClan was trying to put me in a medicine cat's den, but it was certainly concerning. Even after my time with them, I don't fully trust DuskClan." The brown tabby sat down, allowing Hazelfang to begin.

"I have mixed feelings about my time with DuskClan. The conditions were not the best and the prey was lacking, as Turtletail explained, though I think that's sooner the result of their territory not being as plentiful as they claim. They have little time to keep clean and slim pickings when it comes to prey, so I don't think they can be faulted for that."

Turtletail shrugged, then nodded agreement.

Hazelfang sighed. "I noticed that DuskClan's warriors were often tired. They seemed... downtrodden. Many kept their distance from me, and even though only a select few were outright hostile, I did sense some overall resentment. That worries me. I would not be surprised if DuskClan seeks revenge, and I'm reluctant to give them the freedom to do so." Hazelfang nodded to punctuate her statement, then sat down herself.

"I don't trust DuskClan," Wolfwhisker opened with a cold stare. "I could give you a full list of reasons, but I think their latest crime is evidence enough." He flicked Bearpaw with his tail, and the long-haired brown tabby tom stepped forward. He tilted his head, and in the moonlight the deep facial scar Pikepaw had given him was obvious. It twisted from the inner corner of his eye down his cheek to the corner of his mouth.

Rookpaw heard gasps and his black fur bristled.

"They have permanently marred my apprentice," Wolfwhisker snarled. "As I understand it, he was tricked into going deep into the woods where the DuskClan apprentices ambushed him. DawnClan's medicine cat managed to stop the attack and save his life—"

"That's not true!" Rookpaw yowled, his pale green eyes glaring hard at the SlopeClan apprentice. "Bearpaw, you know that's not true! You know it, and you're just going to let them believe it? You're lucky Beetlepaw isn't here! She'd prove you wrong. She has scars from_ you_!"

Rookpaw had expected a response of some sort, maybe another round of shocked gasps, but he was answered only by an awkward silence.

Behind and above, he heard Pikepaw hiss, "You mouse-brain! Do you know what you've done?"

He didn't, and he hadn't a clue, until Wolfwhisker began to stalk toward him.

"Forgive him, Wolfwhisker," Ivyheart called out, her voice stopping the SlopeClan warrior in his tracks. "He is young, and he does not yet understand the laws of our Gathering." She hesitated before adding, "What he says, however, is the truth."

Wolfwhisker snorted. "A whole Clan of liars."

Ivyheart flinched.

The gray warrior turned back and flicked Bearpaw again with his tail.

The apprentice, frightfully quiet, stepped back to join Goldenstar in the shadows.

Wolfwhisker began again, "There you have it. DuskClan's poisonous attitude has still somehow managed to infect its next generation. Somehow, their murderous culture is still being passed down, and I pity any cat delusional enough to believe this is not the case. If anything, I think they need harsher restrictions." The long-limbed warrior sat down, and a fresh rumble of murmuring started up.

"Rookpaw," Ivyheart meowed. "We cannot challenge an ambassador's judgment. It's not our place to question it. Once it's announced, it becomes fact, and we tried to convince Wolfwhisker otherwise before he left, but obviously we failed. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I accept full responsibility."

"It's okay," Rookpaw answered, his tail twitching angrily. "It's a stupid rule. Thanks for backing me up."

"Of course."

"Ivyheart," Snowfoot mewed from above.

Both Rookpaw and the deputy twisted their heads to see the white warrior peering down at them, his ears flat with worry. "I think we should get Pikepaw and Rookpaw out of here. This might turn violent."

Beside him, Lindenfur nodded. The petite molly whispered just loud enough for them to hear, "I know a place we can hide them until things calm down. Just give us the word."

Ivyheart nodded and looked back out toward the hollow's center. Her breathing caught.

It was too late. Swanstar had risen to give the final word. "Cats of the Clans, I have made my decision."

Once again, the murmuring cats fell silent, and the MarshClan leader's voice resounded, "DuskClan has made a serious mistake attacking an apprentice. They've made an even more serious mistake by attempting to deny it. As compensation, their territory will remain open to hunters during leaf-bare."

Rowanstar's ears fell.

Swanstar looked toward DuskClan, and Rookpaw saw something dangerous in her eyes.

"I understand that this puts the Clan in danger, especially since their prey is already so pathetic in the good season," the cream tabby admitted with what seemed like sympathy, "But I am nothing if not merciful. To help DuskClan survive, we will take away one of their hungry mouths. May the cat that scarred Bearpaw please step forward."

"What is the meaning of this, Swanstar?" Whitelion immediately boomed from the ledge.

Rookpaw twisted his head back around and saw Pikepaw crouched between his mentor's forelegs, his eyes kitten-round, and his body reeking of fear scent.

Swanstar's ears perked and a snake-like smile crossed her face. "Does DuskClan dare to challenge the senior leader's judgment?"

"There must be another way, Swanstar," Rowanstar stated, her composure unaffected. "You don't have to do this."

Ivyheart stood up, her sea-green eyes narrowed. "Swanstar, please!"

The fur on Swanstar's shoulders bristled, and her upper lip began to curl. She looked ready to say something nasty when Snowfoot leaped from the DuskClan ledge and ran toward the cats at the center.

"Snowfoot! Come back here this instant," Ivyheart snarled, as if he were still her apprentice.

The white warrior ignored the order, and instead stood boldly before Swanstar. Their faces were but a mousetail apart, and sensing a threat, the other cats at the hollow's center puffed up their fur.

Surprisingly, the rest of the Clan cats, previously so vocal, had become as silent as stone.

"I did not call for you," Swanstar meowed simply, looking at the slender tom as one would a piece of crowfood.

"I won't let you hurt Pikepaw," Snowfoot declared. "He should not have attacked Bearpaw, you're right, but he deserves your pardon. He's just a foolish apprentice. We all were once."

"Some of us never grow out of it, apparently," Ravenflight spat.

Rookpaw heard Lindenfur hiss at the black warrior, and he felt like doing the same when he noticed how Snowfoot trembled before the MarshClan leader.

The white tom stood directly in the lone moonbeam, which splintered along his outline. The light shifted as his body quivered, and it had the effect of making him appear to glisten like a StarClan warrior. He cast an intimidating shadow over Swanstar, who'd doubled in size and begun to growl, yet he looked fragile, like a cat that would disappear in a puff of snowflakes should the wind blow too hard.

"All right, you said it. Come back now," Rookpaw murmured to himself.

Rowanstar's green eyes grew round as she studied her young warrior, and because the hollow was so still, her soft mew could be heard by all, "Snowfoot, please go back..."

Outside, a crow cawed, and taking its cue, Swanstar chirped, "Very well!" Her fur fell flat, and she looked toward DuskClan's corner, her golden eyes full of a queen's love. "You are forgiven, DuskClan apprentice. Rise, purr, and live life knowing you're the only DuskClan cat to receive such a blessing from me." She took a deep breath and sighed happily. But that same joy died fast.

She rounded on Snowfoot, her expression frighteningly empty. "That said, you have broken the law of our Gathering by confronting me in this way, and unlike the apprentice, you are a warrior with no excuse. You shall not escape the consequences of your disrespect." She stepped away from Snowfoot and tossed her head back, meowing loud, "My judgments are final, and my punishments are real. Any cat still burdened by a grudge against DuskClan, I leave this task to you!"

Rookpaw's forehead furrowed. "Wait, Ivyheart, what's going on?"

But before words could confirm his worst fears, Rookpaw saw. He watched cats, cats from each Clan, leap from ledges and dash forward to surround Snowfoot.

The white tom's ears fell back, and he ducked his head. His dark yellow eyes went wide as they flicked between the sheer number of cats that had answered Swanstar's call, and he stepped back toward the hollow's opening. He turned, as if hoping to use his quick feet one last time to dash into the forest, but the cats lashed out, and Snowfoot vanished beneath a writhing mound of hissing bodies.

Rookpaw heard ripping and crunching and ear-piercing shrieks. His frown deepened the more he disbelieved what he was hearing. He shifted on his paws, trying to see what was happening, but he could only distinguish the bright red faces of the attackers as they came up for air. He noted their stained fangs and claws, how they even fought with each other.

The blood-stained cats pulled back suddenly and returned to their respective corners. A few limped, while others simply sported some nicks or scratches.

In that first heartbeat, no onlooking cat moved.

In the second heartbeat, the glowing red and green eyes inside the hollow blinked as each cat studied what was left.

It looked like a pile of half-eaten prey, and at first, Rookpaw was convinced that's what it was. What a fun trick, he thought as his eye twitched. They made Snowfoot disappear. How exciting was that?

He stared, his un-seeing eyes flickering across the snaking blue intestines, the scattered red shreds of flesh, and a few bones jutting up from the bloody, hairy mess—like pine needles stuck in mud! Rookpaw's stare settled on a single paw, snapped from its limb and left a few kittensteps from the body. He noted the red fur around its stump, the white fur at its claw-spiked tip, and the bright pink pads.

When the third heartbeat hit, the silence broke as a cat screamed, and Rookpaw had to feel Ivyheart scoop him against her chest and muffle his mouth with her pale chest fur before he realized he was the one screaming.

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><p><strong>The story has... taken something of a dark turn. ono; At this point, I'd like to thank everyone who has ever reviewed or simply taken the time to sit down and read this far. I'd like to especially thank <em>Twisterheart<em> and _Leafsplash-of-ThunderClan_ for reviewing each chapter. -cookiesforall-**

**Reader Question: What do you think of this grim Gathering?**


	7. 006 Beetlepaw

**Author's Note: A big thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter, and a big welcome to the readers that have hopped aboard since! n_n My family was visiting the weekend before last, so there was much more cooking than writing going on, and last weekend, I was attending a Renaissance Faire. All that said, ****I apologize for the late update. I also thank you endlessly for bearing with me. ****In other news, I received a question from the marvelous _Warriors Fan12_, and I feel the answer is worth sharing.**

_**Question: How long do you think **_**Blackbirds**_** will be?**_

_**Answer: According to my rough outlines, I'm looking at about fifty chapters per book. I can confirm that there will be at least two books, and there may even be a third depending on how things play out. Stay tuned! c;**_

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><p><strong>ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ sɪx | ʙᴇᴇᴛʟᴇᴘᴀᴡ<strong>

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><p>Beetlepaw was curled tight in her mossy nest when the yowling started. She watched as the other apprentices sat up one by one like sentinel rabbits, their glowing eyes fixated on the den's moonlit opening. Like the others, the small black molly lifted her head, and her ears swiveled forward as the distant shouts became louder and more distinct.<p>

"Rowanstar, we can't accept this! They've gone too far."

Beetlepaw recognized Whitelion's deep, rumbling voice just as easily as she recognized Lindenfur's sharp meow:

"They've taken so much from me, Rowanstar, I can't—!"

From the nest next to Beetlepaw's, Rainpaw rushed forward, murmuring to herself, "Oh, StarClan, no..." The gray tabby's footfalls were uneven, and after stumbling over her own gangling legs, she all but spilled out the den's entrance. She called to her mother, "Lindenfur, what's wrong?"

Fawnpaw jumped to her paws and shook a stray feather from her light brown fur. "I'm going out, too." She turned to Beetlepaw, and blue eyes met blue before the two mollies nodded together.

"I'll come with you," Beetlepaw affirmed, and keeping close to the taller apprentice's side, she made to leave the den.

"Hey! Wai—" Cedarpaw yawned. "Wait up!"

Without even looking at her brother, Fawnpaw leaped from the den into the bright night.

Beetlepaw was just about to poke her head out from under the holly bush as well when she heard Rainpaw shout, "Where's Snowfoot now?"

"Snowfoot?" Beetlepaw echoed as she emerged beside Fawnpaw. She'd never been particularly close to the white warrior. However, she remembered how a mere moon ago, he'd assured her whimpering kit-self that there was at least one cat in DuskClan that would be honored to have her as his apprentice. As she eventually figured, he hadn't been referring to Ravenflight.

Beetlepaw twitched her whiskers and scanned the clearing. Not far from where she stood, there was a flat boulder even larger than the one over the medicine cat's den, and beneath its stony lip was the entrance to the leader's den. Ambassadors slept there, so it was no surprise when Reedstripe and Tallnight popped their heads up from the shadows.

On the other side of the leader's boulder, the warrior den could be found at the base of a large pine tree, and several cats crowded around its trunk, while on the opposite side of camp, Badgerclaw, Stoatbelly, and Wormtail all perched on the oak roots outside the elders' den.

Firefern and Blackbee had emerged from under the medicine cat's boulder, and beneath the nursery's pine tree, a long-limbed black and white queen stood with a yawning Nettlekit between her paws.

Like Fawnpaw, all the awakened cats stared at camp's center, where Rowanstar sat surrounded by the warriors that had attended the Gathering. Each voiced a variety of concerns, though none quite explained the current commotion.

Rainpaw had joined them and sat licking Lindenfur's shoulder like a mother trying to soothe her anxious kit. Meanwhile, Ivyheart stood off to the side with Rookpaw and Pikepaw. She appeared to be speaking softly to them, but the two toms simply stared ahead into nothingness, as if they'd gone blind and deaf.

Beetlepaw felt her heart seize.

"Pardon me." Cedarpaw stepped out from the apprentice den, his broad shoulder bumping Beetlepaw to the side so he could stand beside Fawnpaw. "What's going on here?"

Fawnpaw shrugged. "We don't know for sure yet. Snowfoot's missing, and it looks bad. Even Pikepaw's shaking."

Cedarpaw frowned and stuck his white chin forward. He looked ready to defend his friend's fearless reputation, but he said nothing.

After a deep breath, Rowanstar broke from the group and made straight for the Standing Stones. Most of the other cats at the center followed her at a considerable distance, but Beetlepaw noticed how Ivyheart turned to guide Rookpaw and Pikepaw to the medicine cat's den.

As Firefern rushed to help Ivyheart nudge the two apprentices along, Rowanstar jumped atop the shortest of the three cylindrical stones. She paused and her white-tipped tail flicked once before she jumped again to perch on the tallest. Under the moonlight, her ginger tabby fur looked a pale yellow, and her white chest swelled before she yowled, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Standing Stones for a Clan meeting!"

"Come on!" Cedarpaw meowed as the cats around the camp's edges began to run toward their leader. The red-brown tom dashed forward and disappeared between a blue-gray warrior and a tall black molly missing the tip of one ear.

Fawnpaw darted after him, but Beetlepaw hung back. She watched the black molly warrior with shuffling paws, but despite her hopes, Spiderfang didn't once glance in her direction. Instead, the short-furred warrior settled next to Badgerclaw without a word.

Like the rays of a setting sun, the gathered cats radiated out from the Standing Stones, and Beetlepaw imagined Cedarpaw and Fawnpaw sitting right in front of Rowanstar. Thornwillow and Ratwhisker were probably sitting with them, grooming their fur and reminding them to mind their volume. She was convinced Rainpaw still sat with Lindenfur, trying to soothe her, and Nettlekit was probably nestled comfortably against the warmth of her mother's side.

She missed Rookpaw.

Beetlepaw circled around the cluster of cats, watching as Ivyheart and Firefern padded over from the medicine cat's den to take their places on either side of Rowanstar.

Ivyheart leaped to sit on the second highest stone, while Firefern jumped atop the shortest. In position, DuskClan's three highest ranked cats sat with their backs straight and their heads high.

The cats below murmured to one another, and Beetlepaw, with her ears flat and her shoulders hunched, plopped down beside Spiderfang.

"I'm worried about Rookpaw," she mewed, stealing a look up at the powerful warrior, but she didn't even receive a blink in return. She dropped her gaze down to her paws. "He hates the medicine cat's den. He can't stand the taste of herbs. I know he'd rather be out here, but he's not, so I'm... I'm worried. Spiderfang?"

"Spiderfang, just talk to your kit," Badgerclaw spat.

Beetlepaw flinched, but before her mother could speak, Rowanstar began.

"Snowfoot is dead." The ginger and white molly paused just long enough for the gathered cats to hiss. "He was killed during the Gathering, and according to the other Clans, such a thing does not defy Lune's truce. There is no body left, and his vicious murder confirms our worst fears. DuskClan is not considered equal to the other Clans, and like prey, we are vulnerable."

A few cats wailed, and one gray and white warrior jumped up to remind the others he'd warned them this would happen. A few expressed agreement. Others whimpered. Even so, the cats of DuskClan were leaning against one another, licking one another's ears and whispering comfort.

In stark contrast, Reedstripe and Tallnight stood stiff like a pair of mice discovered under a mushroom cap. Cricketpaw lay on his belly with his paws over his eyes.

"Monstrous!" Badgerclaw growled, her black and white fur bristling.

Spiderfang simply gave a knowing nod, but Beetlepaw felt a lump in her throat.

She thought again about Snowfoot and his sunny disposition, how he didn't even hesitate to say he admired a shy kit like her. He wasn't the sort to start trouble. He wasn't even intimidating.

Rowanstar continued, "As angry as we all are, this tragedy does not mean that our ambassadors are unwelcome. They are our guests, and we will not treat them poorly for actions they had no part in. We will not let this crime plunge the four Clans back into war. That would do nothing but befoul Snowfoot's memory." Her green eyes flashed. "As DuskClan's leader, I swear that I will seek justice, and I hope you will trust Ivyheart and I to find the best solution."

Ivyheart, looking up at her leader, blinked encouragement.

Rowanstar concluded, "At this time, those who wish it may pay their respects to Snowfoot. He is an honored warrior, and he shall be sorely missed. Let us not taint the night of his vigil with hate."

The murmuring began again as Ivyheart and Rowanstar jumped down and headed into the leader's den. The ambassadors followed the pair with Cricketpaw stumbling over their heels.

Rather than return to the medicine cat's den, Firefern jumped into the crowd. He ran forward to nuzzle Sorrelspot, a white molly with large ginger and brown tabby patches.

Firefern—Beetlepaw remembered—had been Snowfoot's brother, and Sorrelspot their mother.

Badgerclaw shook her head. "Just shameful. At the rate things are going, I'm beginning to wonder if the other Clans _want_ another war."

"That seems likely," Spiderfang meowed, her voice as smooth and gentle as a shallow stream. "I don't think it's a coincidence this has happened just after the ambassadors decided to poke around the elders' den." Her pale green eyes flicked toward Badgerclaw, and the elder nodded in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Beetlepaw queried.

Badgerclaw narrowed her orange eyes at Spiderfang, flicking her tail once in Beetlepaw's direction, and the black warrior sighed.

"The ambassadors wouldn't have visited with the elders unless they thought we were hiding something." Spiderfang bent down and licked Beetlepaw's ear, her movements effortless, as though she did such a thing all the time. "It's silly, honeybee, but that's just how it is."

"I see." Beetlepaw frowned. Her ear tingled where Spiderfang had licked it, and she thought it strange how she could feel a rush of both joy and shame simultaneously. She clenched her mouth shut.

Badgerclaw rose to her paws with a stretch. "Hopefully Rowanstar can calm things down without letting personal feelings get in the way. Snowfoot was her kin, after all."

"A lot of cats were Snowfoot's kin. Kin and friends." Spiderfang lifted her head and looked back out at the cats gathered around Firefern and Sorrelspot. She noted aloud, "The dens will feel awful empty tonight."

"It makes sense." Badgerclaw rolled her muscular shoulders. "So few cats of their generation survived. It was just Snowfoot, Firefern, Lindenfur, and Blueshadow. Only four, and they'd grown so close, almost a like a family all their own. We called them the lucky ones when it was all over. Do you remember that?"

"I do." Spiderfang stood up. She towered over both her mother and her daughter. "The poor things."

"Beetlepaw, why don't you go check on Rookpaw? You were so worried about him before, and I'm sure he'd love to see you," Badgerclaw suggested.

"Right." Beetlepaw managed a shaky purr. She brushed against both Spiderfang and Badgerclaw in a silent farewell before making her way toward the medicine cat's den. Badgerclaw wished her a good night and promised her everything would work out in the end. Spiderfang, however, had resumed her silence and simply studied the various cats sitting vigil.

By then all the others had returned to their dens, and despite Snowfoot's mourners, the camp felt much emptier than it had when Beetlepaw first stepped out. She couldn't fathom what had gone wrong at the Gathering, but she felt the resultant shift. It was like a sudden breeze from another direction, one that carried the subtle scent of a storm, and it made Beetlepaw's heart flutter with worry.

She soon disappeared beneath the medicine cat's boulder, and feeling her paws sink into the soft soil, she blinked to better adjust to the deep shadows within.

"Hello?" a gentle meow called out.

_Blackbee_.

Beetlepaw's worry gave way to excitement. She couldn't hold it against any cat, but she wasn't ignorant to the fact so many of them forgot she existed. Maybe Fawnpaw and Cedarpaw could leave her in their dust. Maybe Spiderfang and Badgerclaw could overlook her. But like Rookpaw, Blackbee was surely too kind for that. The little molly's long black fur stood on end and her ears perked. "I-I'm looking for Rookpaw. Is... Is he okay?"

From the darkness, Blackbee padded forward. Her head was cocked, and her golden eyes studied Beetlepaw curiously. "He's just about to fall asleep now, but you're welcome to see him if you wish. Come on in." She flicked her plumy tail, and on poised paws, she turned toward the nests at the back of the den.

Beetlepaw followed closely behind her, paying careful attention to the elegant rise and fall of the medicine cat's tiny paws. The narrow den turned spacious, and Beetlepaw quickly shifted her attention to the young toms.

Pikepaw was half-curled in one of the three nests, the front half of his long gray body hanging limp off the reed-wrapped side as if he'd fallen asleep abruptly.

Like his opposite, Rookpaw's tiny black body curled tight in his own nest, his jaw working frantically to chew on something.

"I've given them both a high dosage of poppy seeds." Blackbee stepped toward Pikepaw. One of her ears fell lopsided as, with her mouth, she pulled his forelegs into his temporary nest. "It should help with the stress, in part by putting them to sleep." She glanced up at Beetlepaw once before she proceeded to grab the unconscious tom by his scruff. She pulled so that Pikepaw rested with his head on his paws, and after giving him one last look-over, she nodded her satisfaction. She stepped around Pikepaw's nest and came to stand before Beetlepaw. "You're Rookpaw's littermate, aren't you?"

"I am." Beetlepaw pushed forward her white chest. However, after an awkward heartbeat, her fur fell flat. Had she sounded too cocky? She cleared her throat and approached Rookpaw to nose his familiar cheek.

He shuddered and buried his long face between his forepaws.

Her ears sagged. "It must have been really awful. The Gathering, I mean. These two, they're a couple of bramble bushes, you know. All prickly and ready to take on any challenger." She settled down on her belly and laid her forelimbs over Rookpaw's back before resting her head on top of them. On one paw, she was grateful that there didn't seem to be any external injuries. Both toms looked fine and fit with no blood and no cobwebs. On the other paw, if they were in the medicine cat's den without physical injuries, then their wounds must be internal, like Barkface's lingering paranoia.

Beetlepaw stared at the den's back wall and whispered to her brother, "You're going to be okay, okay?"

He trembled beneath her, but he seemed to relax some. Whether that was the result of what she'd said or the poppy seeds finally starting to take effect, Beetlepaw couldn't be sure, but she purred nonetheless.

When his breathing finally slowed, she lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Blackbee. "I don't mean to pry, and I'm sorry if I'm being rude, I-I really don't mean to offend you, but by any chance... do you know why they killed Snowfoot?"

The DawnClan medicine cat, by then seated as well, hesitated before admitting, "I can't imagine why any cat would want to kill another."

Beetlepaw couldn't imagine why either, but a thought struck her. Before she could stifle it, it floated up from her mouth in the form of a curious meow: "Do you think it has anything to do with the prophecy?"

There was a pause, and in its instant, Beetlepaw realized her mistake. The den's pleasant warmth seemed to turn to ice as a shot of adrenaline tore through her.

Blackbee's tail began flicking furiously. "Excuse me?"

Beetlepaw froze, and her mouth shut tight.

One of Blackbee's ears , and the molly stepped forward, suddenly looking much larger. "Who told you about a prophecy?"

"I-I..." Beetlepaw felt her fur grow hot.

"Well?"

She gulped. "I accidentally overheard you and Firefern talking about it last night. I was just sitting outside, and then I heard it, and..." She pinned her ears back, and avoiding Blackbee's blazing yellow eyes, she turned to face the den's wall once more. "I know I should have stopped listening and just left, but I couldn't. I'm selfish, I know. Curiosity got the better of me. I admit it. I'm sorry." She buried her face in Rookpaw's dark fur, muffling her meow, "I'm sorry, Blackbee!"

"Does anyone else know?"

Beetlepaw kept her face hidden. "I only told Rookpaw, but he's good at keeping secrets. We won't tell anyone else."

Blackbee sighed, and her meow turned gentle once more, "That's fine, then. So long as you both promise to keep the secret, I promise I won't tell Rowanstar about your accidental espionage."

Beetlepaw turned her head, just enough to peek at the medicine cat with one round blue eye.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you," Blackbee purred, her ears pinned back with apology. "To answer your question, I can't say I see how tonight's events relate to the prophecy, but who knows? Maybe this is the beginning, or maybe it's the end and we were too late to stop it." The corners of her mouth twitched downward. "That said, we truly don't know what the prophecy means, and that's why it's important to keep it quiet. We don't want to start a panic, understand?"

Beetlepaw nodded against Rookpaw's side, ruffling his fur and causing him to shift in his sleep.

Blackbee stepped forward and licked Beetlepaw's ear. "I trust you."

Beetlepaw felt her heart swell with pride, and she lifted her head fully. "Blackbee?"

The petite molly tilted her head. "Yes?"

"I've been meaning to thank you... for stopping Bearpaw. It means a lot to me, and I really admire how you handled the situation. I think you're really smart and brave, and I hope that someday I can be like you."

"I apologize, but would you mind telling me your name again?"

"Beetlepaw. My name's Beetlepaw."

"That's incredibly sweet of you to say, Beetlepaw." She shut her eyes and purred anew. "If you want to be like me, does that mean you have an interest in herbs?"

Beetlepaw's eyes went wide and her tail fluffed up. "I-I do a little?" She watched Blackbee blink at her curiously, then went on to elaborate, "When I was a kit, I was really curious and Rowanstar once talked to me about becoming a medicine cat apprentice, but... Firefern didn't want an apprentice just yet. He's still so young, so I've been trying really hard to be a good warrior instead." She wrinkled her nose. "But, honestly, I've always been better at building nests and helping the elders than at hunting and fighting. I've always been fascinated by StarClan... and prophesies..."

Blackbee's golden eyes seemed to glitter. "If you'd like, and if you can keep up with your mentor's training as well, I wouldn't mind teaching you a little on the side."

"Really!" Beetlepaw burst, then ducked her head, realizing how loud she must have been. She looked from Rookpaw to Pikepaw, inspecting the steady rise and fall of their sides, and thankfully both appeared to be sound asleep. She matched Blackbee's purr.

"We can start tomorrow, so you'd best get a good night's rest, all right?"

"Absolutely," Beetlepaw agreed.

Blackbee dipped her head and turned to inspect one of the herb stores, most likely checking to see if she'd used all their poppy seeds.

Meanwhile, Beetlepaw lingered in the den just long enough to press her nose against Rookpaw's side and murmur, "You don't have to be scared. Blackbee and I will help you. You can count on it."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! And, as always, if you enjoyed this chapter at all-all the more if you hated it!-please review. Even just a few words go a long, long way. See you again next week!<strong>

**Reader Question: At this point, what do /you/ think DuskClan should do?**

**Critical Question: There were a lot of characters and names in this chapter. Were you ever confused?**


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